Want First Notice of Romney's VP Choice? There's an App for That

His nomination as the Republican candidate for president safely in the bag, and the general election campaign now fully commenced, speculation is rampant about just who Mitt Romney will select as his vice-presidential running mate.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal? Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty? Whomever it might be, those political junkies who care about Romney's pick — and desire to be the very first to know his selection — need not rely on the news media as in days of old. For that, they need only rely on their smartphones.

The Romney campaign on Tuesday launched a new iPhone and Android app called "Mitt's VP," which will be the first place to find out the Republican's veep selection.

Interestingly, the new app launch coincided with a new app from President Obma's campaign and the Democratic Party, called "Obama for America." It's an iPhone app that combines election information, grassroots organizational tools, campaign news, and more into a single package.

"The historic announcement is getting closer," Beth Myers, a Romney campaign senior adviser, said in a statement. "Soon everyone will know who Mitt Romney selects as his Vice Presidential running mate. With this new app, users can be the first to know the second member of America’s Comeback Team."

Right now, the app only shows a grey "Coming Soon” box, along with sharing options via Twitter, Facebook, and email. The Mitt’s VP app will send subscribers a push notification — if you’ve opted in — the minute Romney’s running mate is announced, according to Wired.com.

A digital approach to announcing the VP choice first is not new. Obama took a similar approach in 2008, announcing his selection of Joe Biden via text message. That didn't exactly pan out as planned, however. The New York Times still managed to break the news first.

"Still," noted Wired.com, "the Romney campaign’s decision to go the app route does highlight how much political campaigns are embracing new digital technologies over traditional tools."

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