February 8, 2008 What does the future hold for Mitt Romney? Play video

(NECN) - The big question looming in the minds of many Republicans is: what's next for Mitt Romney? But, as for the former Massachusetts governor, he's not saying much after leaving the presidential race Thursday.

In his departure, the businessman-turned-politician set the stage for a possible return to the political arena in the future. Romney called for the nation to rise to the economic challenge posed by China and India, shore up domestically with energy independence and resist a downward spiral in its culture.

GOP front-runner John McCain says it's too soon for talk about potential running mates. He says it would be "inappropriate" to dismiss Mike Huckabee's candidacy. However, some party figures have suggested McCain might select Huckabee as a vice presidential nominee.

McCain does say the usual practice of picking a running mate from a different region may be a thing of the past.

"From a practical standpoint, I think former President Clinton and Vice President Gore showed us you don't have to be regionally different," McCain said. "I think America is such that, quote, regional differences don't play the role that maybe they did in earlier times." Clinton, a former Arkansas governor, and Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee made the first national ticket entirely from the South.

NECN political reporter Alison King has the latest.