GOP nominee-apparent John McCain has picked up his former rival, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, as an apparent ally. Romney, who is helping McCain campaign for the top spot, has been traveling with and raising money for the Arizona senator. The effort puts Romney in a strategically favorable position: he is a competitive candidate for the vice-presidency, and even if McCain loses, Romney has still kept up a decent amount of momentum for a second shot in 2012. In a sense, he’s almost running against Huckabee, who is essentially doing the same thing, but with a different flavor.

Although Romney won’t bring in any specific states - Massachusetts is widely expected to vote solidly Democrat, and Utah will unerringly vote Republican - he might be instrumental in getting out the base of conservative voters who may still be distrustful of McCain in swing states like Florida and Ohio.  Romney can also bring money, already having pledged to deliver $15 million, and may be able to supply more as the campaign heats up.