Gov. McDonnell hints he won’t endorse in GOP presidential race

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) on Wednesday hinted that he won’t endorse anyone in the GOP presidential race, citing his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

“You know, being the chairman of the Republican Governors Association now, with several current and former governors in the race, I’ve got to think through whether it’s appropriate for me to make an endorsement,” McDonnell told The Hill.

{mosads}It’s not unusual for members of the party leadership to withhold their endorsements until a candidate officially wins the presidential nomination.

Choosing a contender would be an especially tough decision for McDonnell. He is close with both Mitt Romney and Rick Perry and has appeared at fundraisers and events with both of them. McDonnell replaced Perry as RGA chairman after the Texas governor stepped down to make his presidential bid, and will serve as chairman until around August 2012. And Romney was a strong supporter of McDonnell’s 2009 gubernatorial bid.

If he does endorse, McDonnell said he’ll likely pick one of those two.

“I’m certainly predisposed to supporting a current or former governor,” he said.

Events Wednesday illustrated the difficulty of McDonnell’s choice.

He praised Perry at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s ILR Legal Reform Summit that afternoon, noting that Texas continually vies for first place in job creation with Virginia. He said Perry called to congratulate him when Virginia overtook Texas for the No. 1 spot.

McDonnell didn’t mention Romney during his address to the influential business group, but he spent the earlier part of the day with the former Massachusetts governor, who was making a campaign stop in Fairfax, Va.

At that event, McDonnell complimented Romney on his business experience and for laying out a “specific plan” to create jobs.

Romney said Wednesday that he had asked McDonnell for his endorsement. Perry has asked too, according to reports.

McDonnell has hinted before that he might not endorse, or that he would wait until after the local elections in Virginia, which take place Nov. 8, to announce his pick.

But now, with those elections less than two weeks away, it seems as if he might not endorse at all.

“I’m not going to make any decisions until I have the Virginia election in November, and then I’ll see whether it’s appropriate,” McDonnell told The Hill.

He went on to sing his praises for Romney and Perry: “I like both of them personally and professionally. I think they’re good people, they’re decisive leaders.”

Adding to the pressure is the speculation that McDonnell would be a leading contender for the vice president spot — making an endorsement could put him out of the running. Virginia will be an important swing state in the election. Then-Sen. Obama won it in 2008, becoming the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Republicans will be fighting to turn the state red again.

Plus, McDonnell is a rising star in the GOP and one of the most popular governors in the nation.

And he was on message and in an attack-dog role Wednesday.

While acclaiming the work of the governors, McDonnell blasted the Obama administration for not making businesses feel welcome.

“I think governors get some credit for, number one, creating the right rhetoric to say ‘Hey, we’re open to business. Come here, do good things. I’m going to make you feel welcome,’” McDonnell said. “As opposed to this administration in Washington that’s made a habit out of attacking Wall Street.”

— Alicia M. Cohn contributed.

— This story was updated at 10:25 a.m.