CHICAGO (AFP) — Republican John McCain will seek to steal the spotlight from Democrats and limit Barack Obama's nomination poll surge by revealing the identity of his vice-presidential running mate.
McCain is set to name his VP pick amid a fierce grassroots push for a partner who will uphold conservative traditions as other factions lobby for a vice-president with strong economic and security credentials.
Younger Republican contenders may also see their chances improve because of McCain's age - at 72 he'd be the oldest president inaugurated for a first term should he beat Democratic rival Obama in the November elections.
McCain, a self-styled maverick who has struggled to win over his party's conservative base, is expected to announce his VP pick at a midday rally in the key battleground state of Ohio Friday.
The timing would help draw attention away from Obama's acceptance speech at the conclusion of the Democratic convention on Thursday.
Major rallies are also planned in two other battleground states - Pennsylvania and Missouri - ahead of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota which kicks off on Monday.
High on the list of possible candidates is former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who lost out to McCain in a bitter primary race but has since rallied aggressively on behalf of McCain.
Romney attacked Obama on the sidelines of the Democratic convention in Denver Tuesday but played coy about his aspirations, telling reporters: "I have nothing for you on the VP front."
A self-made millionaire whose father was the governor of Michigan, Romney is also credited with saving the scandal-plagued Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, staged successfully in 2002.
"Governor Romney would help shore up (McCain's) perceived lack of economic experience," said Heath Hall, a senior policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
"Also Romney strategically helps as far as the states of Michigan, New Hampshire... and the mountain states like Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada that have been viewed in play as well."
Another contender is Tom Ridge, who was the first secretary of homeland security under President George W. Bush and is also a former governor of Pennsylvania: a potentially decisive battleground.
While Ridge's security credentials would help win over independent voters, his support of abortion rights could alienate the Republican base.
Current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who will be in Denver Thursday to help undermine the Democrats, is well-liked by conservatives for his anti-abortion stance and evangelical background.
But while the 47-year-old would bring youth and energy to the campaign, it is unclear if Pawlenty can really deliver Minnesota.
His lack of experience may also not play well against Obama's VP pick: senate foreign relations chairman Joseph Biden, a sharp debater whose decades in Washington will help offset criticism of Obama's lack of experience.
A dark horse in the running is McCain's ally and close friend Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and then had a falling out with his party over the war in Iraq.
Choosing Lieberman, the first Jewish candidate on a major party election ticket, could help McCain win over independent voters especially in states with large Jewish communities such as Florida.
But picking the pro-choice independent senator would be a "a disaster for all concerned, and especially for the GOP," influential conservative columnist Robert Novak wrote Wednesday.
While it's important that McCain's VP candidate helps deliver votes, it won't be too hard to bring out the base on election day, said presidential historian Tom Whalen.
"All the McCain folks need to say is look what the alternative will be and that will scare up the base," Whalen said in a telephone interview.
"Obama - my God how many members of the electorate still think he's a Muslim?" Whalen said. "They don't have to say it but they know others in the party will do it for them."
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