N.C. Senator Richard Burr's early support for John McCain has led some to speculate initially whether Burr is vying for the Vice Presidential spot on the Republican ticket. Burr has since made clear that he prefers to show his support from the sidelines, but the question remains: Would the inclusion of Burr on the Republican ticket as the VP candidate amplify support for McCain among Republican voters in the South and if so, would this improve his chances of winning the general election?

First, McCain has been criticized for not being conservative enough. Ann Coulter has even said that she would vote for Hillary over McCain as she is more conservative than the Republican candidate. McCain will certainly need to a way to appeal to the far right vote, particularly the Evangelical vote and Burr's Southern background could be a powerful weapon in McCain's arsenal. There is something about a Southern drawl that just makes people seem more conservative and consequently more religious, even if they are far from it and this perception is magnified on the national scale among people who have never been directly exposed to Southern culture and therefore, necessarily base their perception on information derived from the media.

The biggest drawback to choosing Burr as the GOP VEEP candidate is his relative obscurity on the national scale. Although both of the Democratic candidates come from legislative backgrounds, governors have somewhat of an advantage over senators when it comes to visibility. The residents of most states have much more exposure to their governor than they have to their senators as senators operate on a national level whereas the governor is involved with state affairs, which touches people more directly. In addition, there are two senators compared to a single governor. Finally, governors have experience within the executive branch while senators' experience lies in the legislative aspects of government.

If Senator Burr were to 'audition' for the VP spot, his acceptance by Bible Belt voters, the segment of the Republican party that McCain could use the most help with, remains will depend on how he chooses to portray himself, or shape his image, on a national level. The good news is that Burr has flexibility in his image creation since he is not very well known outside of North Carolina. The rise of Barrack Obama provides an excellent example of this strategy as he took advantage of his relative obscurity outside of Illinois to package himself as a Washington outsider and the voice of change in government. In the end, Burr may not bring enough to the table to justify his nomination as the VP candidate. As a highly conservative governor from the South, he might well be a better choice for the VP candidate if McCain does win the Republican nomination.