LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The item on the Drudge Report mentioned a fundraising email the 57-year-old Rice sent Thursday night on Romney's behalf as part of the campaign's "Meet the VP" drive. The drive is intended to increase the number of small-dollar donors in which the winners get to meet the candidate and his eventual running mate.

No one in the Romney camp confirms or denies the story, in keeping with the campaign's tight-lipped approach to the selection process. It has been theorized that the action was "a trial balloon" to gauge the reaction to Rice as a possible pick.

Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades has a close working relationship with Matt Drudge. Rhoades sent an email to supporters alerting them to the campaign's latest fundraising push/ "Sometime between now and the Republican convention, Mitt will be announcing his choice for VP."

Romney told a crowd in Grand Junction, Colorado, "I can tell you . the person I choose, you will look at and say, well, that's a person who could be president, if that were necessary . And that, for me, is the most important single criteria."

Analysts say that Rice's assets are evident: She's a woman; she's black; she has extensive foreign-policy experience and her inclusion on the ticket would scramble the race in ways few other candidates could.

There are downsides to Rice. She has favored abortion rights, a position Romney has moved away from; she has never run for elected office and she waged frequent battles with former Vice President Dick Cheney. Many conservatives also believe she was indecisive on Iran and North Korea policies during the George W. Bush administration.

If elected, her presence would also feed Democratic criticism that Romney represents another four years of President Bush.

In a CNN poll of Republicans in April, Rice drew the highest levels of support as a possible running mate.

Twenty-six percent of the respondents picked her, compared with 21 percent for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and 14 percent for both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The poll showed Ms. Rice to have an approval rating of 80 percent.

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