Romney’s “bus tour -- a quest for exposure and votes in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin,  Iowa and Michigan -- has showcased no less than four Republican leaders often mentioned as prospective running mates for Romney. In addition to Ryan and Portman, Romney has appeared with New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in what amount to auditions for the second most powerful position in the United States government,” National Journal writes. It goes on to write about each one’s role.

Kelly Ayotte and Marco Rubio will speak at a Restore Our Future fundraiser.

CHRISTIE: GOP 12 pulls this out of the New York Times story: “Mr. Romney has formed some early impressions, according to several Republicans who spoke on the condition of anonymity: Mr. Christie is often late, as he was during a $5 million fund-raising dinner in New York City last month. After a few uncomfortable moments, Mr. Romney finally had to take the stage and speak first. When Mr. Christie did arrive, it was left to Mr. Romney to introduce him to the crowd.”

JINDAL: “Gov. Bobby Jindal has vetoed a bill that would have allowed small-town officials to do business with a person who has a business relationship with the municipality,” the New Orleans Times Picayune reports. “However, Jindal signed into law House Bill 206 by Rep. Girod Jackson III, D-Marrero, that would allow members of the Jefferson Parish Council and the boards that run East Jefferson and West Jefferson general hospitals to hire immediate family members as doctors, nurses or other health professionals.”

Getting personal? “Treasurer John Kennedy, a critic of the Jindal administration's financial policies, has found his budget cut with Gov. Bobby Jindal's line-item veto,” AP writes.

Jindal may get plaudits from conservatives about his ed reform policy, but it’s not without controversy. “The debate over public school reform often ends up in court,” the Shreveport Times writes. “Critics of Gov. Bobby Jindal's education legislation, passed by the Louisiana Legislature in April, already have filed lawsuits against it, citing violations of the state constitution and other matters.”

MCDONNELL: “Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is again playing hardball with regional transportation officials, and one key Northern Virginia Democrat is questioning the Republican administration's commitment to the $6 billion Dulles Rail line,” the Washington Examiner writes. “Even though the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority gave in to McDonnell's demands and killed off a union-friendly labor agreement, McDonnell last week ordered the ouster of an authority board member with union ties, replacing him with a new member that the authority had previously refused to seat.”

McDonnell was in Europe hoping to broker trade deals.

PAWLENTY: He was on CNN hitting Obama on immigration for Romney.

RUBIO: ABC’s Jonathan Karl is reporting that -- as of right now -- Marco Rubio isn’t being vetted by the Romney campaign. (NBC News has been unable to confirm this report, and Rubio himself declined to talk about the VP process in an interview with CNBC.) “Knowledgeable Republican sources tell me that Rubio is not being vetted by Mitt Romney’s vice presidential search team. He has not been asked to complete any questionnaires or been asked to turn over any financial documents typically required of potential vice presidential candidates.”

USA Today’s Page profiles the Florida senator: “Rubio bats away speculation about whether Romney will choose him as the GOP vice presidential nominee this summer — ‘Look, it's flattering; it's also fleeting’ — and says he hasn't thought about whether he might run for president down the road, though he doesn't dismiss the idea.”

More: “It is a curiosity of American politics that, while Latino voters are overwhelmingly Democratic, the highest-ranking Latino officeholders are just as likely to be Republican. Both Hispanic governors now in office, Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, are Republicans. In the Senate, the only other Hispanic is Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey.”

“Marco Rubio was so consumed making fundraising calls for his U.S. Senate race that he didn't notice his youngest son had slipped out of their Miami home and nearly drowned,” the Tampa Bay Times writes. “It is one of many regrets about his political career that Rubio shares in An American Son, his memoir out today.”

More: “The book presents a paradox. Rubio's rise has been fueled by a rich family narrative, the son of hard-working Cuban immigrants, but a relentless political drive leaves him questioning whether he entered politics too early and missed too much time with his wife and four children.”