Romney’s the Nominee; Now What?

What we’ve known for the better part of three months is now official. Mitt Romney has secured the number of Republican delegates’ votes he needs to contest the 2012 presidential election. He announced that he was ‘humbled and honored’ to be the nominee; Soon after, President Obama called Romney to congratulate him, and looked forward to an “important and healthy debate about America’s future“.

So now what? Presidential campaigning, which has already begun in earnest, will reach a fever pitch. The debate will focus mostly on the economy and domestic jobs. With that in mind, let’s look ahead to the next few months:

1. Who’s Romney’s VP? All things considered, this is a hard one to call. Some pundits suggest that he might plump for a tea-party friendly candidate to boost his conservative credentials (think Bachmann, Santorum or Gingrich). There are also a number of candidates who have minority roots (Rubio, Jindal, Sandoval, Martinez). Finally, there’s the economically conservative would-be deficit killers (Ryan, Daniels). Personally, I would imagine he would pick the candidate who would appease voter fears about US debt, especially in light of recent events in Europe. My prediction? Paul Ryan of alternative budget fame.

2. The battle of the Billion dollar campaigns? Romney has a fundraiser planned in California every day this week. He’s already drumming up support from big businesses, and with PACs now bolstering fundraising, his campaign may well reach the billion dollar mark. With the Obama campaign also projected to reach nine figures, we’re probably going to see the biggest spending race in history. (On an only slightly tangential note, the Obama Facebook page posted this gem of a status: “Shadowy conservative groups just pledged $1 billion to take down the President—because they think they can buy this election. Help fight back by chipping in $3 or more before tomorrow’s big fundraising deadline”. You could cut the irony with a knife.)

3. An Eye on Foreign Policy: Earlier in the year, American eyes were focused on a growing threat of a nuclear Iran and a seemingly belligerent Israel. Now, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is growing increasingly desperate. Simultaneously, elections in France, and the ongoing mess in Greece (and, to a lesser extent, Spain) have continued to shake up Europe. How President Obama deals with all of the above will play a crucial role in deciding how he’s viewed by independent swing voters come November. So far, he has been deferring any real decisions, but with tensions in Europe and Syria mounting, how much longer can he afford that? Romney, for his part, has some reinventing to do. The man who recently described Russia as the “number one geopolitical foe” of the US can’t hope to contest a presidential election in 2012 with rhetoric from the early 80’s. Watch this space.

Thoughts?