Scott Brown: Thune would be 'fantastic' running mate for Trump

When they served in the U.S. Senate together, Scott Brown and John Thune were best of buds.

So it’s hard to make out what Brown is trying to accomplish by suggesting Thune would be a “fantastic” running mate to Donald Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee this week with his crushing primary win in Indiana.

Is Brown being a friend or foe to Thune?

Brown, who had already endorsed Trump, was asked by the Boston Heraldabout whether he wanted to be Trump’s running mate. Brown volunteered Thune.

“I feel very strongly that John would be fantastic,” Brown said. “John’s from a smaller state but I don’t think states matter anymore. What John provides is he will carry the entire central part of this country, the left coast and the right coast, and he is that bridge to the establishment where he is so deeply respected on the left and the right, inside and out.”

Brown represented Massachusetts from 2010 to 2013, losing in 2012 to Elizabeth Warren.

On one hand, Trump will almost certainly need someone respected in the Republican Party as a nominee if he has any hope of uniting a cast of establishment Republicans who say they want nothing to do with the audacious, outspoken tycoon. Thune checks out there. He’s the number-three ranking member of the Republican caucus.

But on the other hand, there is a lot of downside to endorsing Trump, let alone being his running mate. Democrats will do everything they can to paint Trump supporters as racists and misogynists.

As Trump becomes presumptive nominee, S.D. Republicans lend support

Time has a way of muting or softening controversial statements, but Trump has continued to hit the reset button by refusing to dial back what he says and how he says it. Assuming Trump continued to be Trump, a vice presidential nominee would continuously face the prospect of defending or explaining away the latest bit of bombast from Trump.

If Trump wants to win, he needs the help of establishment Republicans to mend over the inner-party rift. And if establishment Republicans want to win, they need someone to take a bullet for the team and assume the ample political risk that comes with being Trump’s running mate.

For what it’s worth, Thune didn’t endorse a candidate in the race for the GOP nomination.

And last year, GOP lawmakers in the Legislature did this to allow Thune to run for his U.S. Senate seat this year and be on a presidential ticket as well.