There is final-hour speculation over who Barack Obama will name as his running mate, with the news media concentrating on two senators and a governor, and a new name in the mix.

Attention turning to Representative Chet Edwards of Texas - a low-key moderate and dark horse ticket prospect.

The 56-year-old has been in the house since 1991 and before that served in the Texas senate.

"I think I would be known for a champion of veterans," said Edwards.

Edwards is chairman of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.

His military experience will help Obama's inexperience in foreign affairs and global conflicts.

However, Edwards voted in favor of the war in Iraq, and that may not sit well with the party's liberal base.

He is a low-profile member of Congress, whose selection may not give Obama's ever-tightening race against Republican John McCain the immediate boost the party is looking for.

Edwards admits that he has been vetted by the campaign but that he hasn't spoken to Obama

"Well, I don't want to get into the details about this process....and I will continue to respect that," said Edwards.

Meanwhile, the suspense is also building over who Republican John McCain would select as his number 2 for the November election.

According to a report by time magazine, McCain has decided on former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

The multi-millionaire would bring economic experience to the ticket.

But the McCain campaign insists the Arizona senator had not yet made up his mind.