DAYTON, Ohio — Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and one top prospect, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, abruptly canceled numerous public appearances.
The Arizona senator will appear with his No. 2 at an Ohio rally today, aides said.
Without explanation, Pawlenty called off an Associated Press interview at the last minute, as well as other media interviews in Denver.
Others believed to be in contention for the No. 2 slot on the GOP ticket included former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Democrat turned independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, too, was still a possibility, as was the idea that McCain would choose a dark horse from any number of names that have circulated.
Fueling speculation that McCain would choose either Pawlenty or Romney or another conservative Republican, two GOP officials said they believed McCain had picked a traditional candidate. They based their conclusion on the fact that the campaign does not have preparations in place to curb the fallout from a right flank that certainly would revolt if Ridge, an abortion-rights backer, or Lieberman, a former Democrat, was on the ticket.
McCain, for his part, was uncharacteristically silent. As he and his wife, Cindy, boarded a plane in Phoenix bound for Dayton, reporters shouted a barrage of questions at the senator about whether he’d made up his mind. McCain wasn’t biting.
He flashed a double thumbs-up and boarded the plane. The Associated Press
