Sen. John McCain disclosed that he is in the "embryonic stages" of selecting a running mate, whom he hopes to introduce at the Republican National Convention. While he refused to disclose any names, McCain told reporters that the list is about 20 deep, and "it's every name imaginable." This is one of a series of profiles on the candidates we imagine might be on his list and some things you may not know about the maybe-veeps. See the full list here.
1. On Dec. 19, 1955, Robert Jones Portman was born to Bill and Joan Portman in Cincinnati. Portman has an older brother, William, and a younger sister, Virginia.
2. Portman's father started a forklift company in 1960, Portman Equipment Co., which was sold in 2004 to a Dutch company.
3. Portman's interest in politics started in high school and continued through college and law school. His first run for office was in high school, for the secretary-treasurer of his freshman class at Cincinnati Country Day School.
4. Portman followed his father's footsteps and attended Dartmouth College, where he studied anthropology and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979. Portman earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan in 1984.
5. Enjoying the outdoors, Portman likes canoeing and kayaking. In 1984 he traveled to China to kayak the Li River and a portion of the Yangzi River. He has also kayaked the entire Rio Grande.
6. Jane, his wife and a former Democrat, worked for Tom Daschle when he served as a representative from South Dakota. Portman and his wife have two sons and a daughter.
7. Besides serving in Congress for 12 years, Portman has worked for both presidents Bush. He served in many positions including associate counsel to President George H.W. Bush. Under President George W. Bush he was U.S. Trade Representative and most recently he was director of the Office of Management and Budget.
8. Portman, whose ancestors were abolitionists, helped get federal money to build the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in his hometown, Cincinnati.
9. Matt Maupin, the U.S. soldier who was taken hostage in 2004 after his convoy was attacked outside Baghdad, was from the district Portman used to represent. He became close to the Maupin family and helped them in the search for their son, including going with them to a meeting at the Pentagon and attending his funeral.
10. This spring Portman is co-teaching a course on public budgeting at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University. He is also a member of the school's advisory board.
Sources:
Almanac of American Politics
Biography Resource Center
The Business Courier (Cincinnati)
The Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Euromoney
Newhouse News Service
Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
OSU.edu
USTR.gov
Corrected on 6/27/08: An earlier version of this article incorrectly listed Portman's most recent job. He was the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
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