Romney as VP could help GOP deliver West

DENVER, July 30 (UPI) -- Political analysts say former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could help the GOP's chances in the U.S. West as a vice presidential choice.

Llikely Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona has yet to make his choice of a running mate, but Romney's background as a prominent businessman has caused his stock to rise among voters who see the sputtering economy as the election's biggest issue, the Denver Post reported Wednesday.

Also, since he attended college at Brigham Young University in Utah and ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Denver, Romney could provide a formidable boost for the GOP ticket's competitiveness in Western states.

"Romney knows the mountain West, he knows how to talk to people there and he had a strong ground troop of volunteers," Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, told the Post.