Marco Rubio may not be the dream running mate for Mitt Romney that he has been made out to be. The results of a Public Policy Polling poll released Thursday indicate that with Rubio as a running mate, Romney would actually lose traction against President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
If he picks Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee or Jeb Bush, however, he becomes a stronger candidate.
In a head-to-head match up against Obama, Romney currently trails the president by a 49-46 margin. But the poll found that the right running mate could boost his chances.
A Romney-Christie ticket ties an Obama-Biden ticket, with each taking 47 percent of the vote. Put Jeb Bush on the ticket, and it’s a 48-47 lead for Obama. With either Santorum or Huckabee as a running mate, Romney trails by just two percent, 48-46 percent.
But with Rubio, Paul Ryan, Ron Paul, or Sarah Palin on the ticket, Romney’s poll numbers actually slip. Running with Palin, Romney gives Obama the greatest lead, trailing by 7 percent. With Rubio he trails by 6 percent; with Ryan, by 5, and with Paul, by 4.
The numbers may be taken with a grain of salt, however, since several of those names have not even been floated. Follow Alexis on Twitter