Now that Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has another three wins under his belt, prompting even his critics to begrudgingly agree that he’s the likely GOP nominee, Europe has begun betting on who he’ll pick as his running mate. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is the top choice at 2-to-1.
Paddy Power, which claims to be Europe’s largest betting company, makes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie second at 5-to-1 and another prominent Hispanic, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez third at 11-to-2.
The picks show that Europeans are paying attention to American politics because those are essentially the odds GOP insiders also give, with one new addition, according to several Republicans: House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan. Ryan and Romney were said to have bonded during Romney’s final push in for the Wisconsin primary, which he won on Tuesday.
Notably way down the list: Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. Below is Paddy Power’s latest odds.
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate
2/1 Marco Rubio
5/1 Chris Christie
11/2 Susana Martinez
15/2 Rand Paul
9/1 Paul Ryan
10/1 Bob McDonnell
20/1 Rick Santorum
20/1 Rob Portman
20/1 Nikki Haley
20/1 Mitch Daniels
20/1 John Thune
25/1 Tim Pawlenty
25/1 Jon Huntsman
25/1 Bobby Jindal
25/1 Condoleezza Rice
25/1 Kelly Ayotte
33/1 Haley Barbour
33/1 Jim DeMint
40/1 Newt Gingrich
50/1 Ron Paul
50/1 Meg Whitman
66/1 Rick Perry
66/1 Sarah Palin
66/1 Colin Powell
80/1 Michele Bachmann
80/1 Donald Trump
100/1 Herman Cain
