From Newport to Washington?

Will Newport Beach soon be known as the home base of Vice President Christopher Cox?

That’s the question on some people’s minds this week as syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak, in an article Monday, stated that a number of conservative members of Congress are pushing for the former Newport congressman as a running mate for presidential candidate John McCain this year.

Novak didn’t specify which members of Congress are backing Cox for the vice presidential slot, but said his supporters favor him for his “stature in the conservative movement.” Cox, who served as a congressman for 16 years before stepping down in 2005, is now the chairman of President George W. Bush’s Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cox was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but other Republicans in the Newport-Mesa area said they would be happy to see his name on the ticket.

“Chris is a very smart and very capable individual, and I think he was an excellent congressman,” said Cox’s replacement, Rep. John Campbell. “He’s an excellent chairman of the SEC, and the reviews on him from both Republicans and Democrats are high.”

Campbell added that he had heard Cox’s name mentioned as a possible running mate in past elections.

“He’s probably never made it to the short list, but he’s always been on the broader list since back in the ’90s,” Campbell said. “I think that’s a testament to his intelligence and his capabilities and accomplishments.”

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said he thought Cox’s experience would mesh nicely with McCain’s.

“It would help McCain if he had someone whose credentials were on the economic and business side rather than the military side,” he said. “It would balance the ticket, and I think he’d make a great vice president. When one considers McCain is an old man who has had many illnesses, whoever is vice president at the time should have the respect of the American people, and Chris Cox certainly fits that mold.”

Cox, an advisor to President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s, served in the House of Representatives from 1989 until his appointment to the SEC in 2005. During his tenure in Congress, he chaired a number of committees, including the House Committee on Homeland Security; at home, he supported caps on John Wayne Airport and dredging of Upper Newport Bay.

Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Daigle, also a fan of Cox, said the former Congressman’s support of the bay was proof of his leadership skills.

“He was consistently able to get funding for the dredging of the ecological reserves,” she said. “We’re trying to improve the flushing of the water, and it’s a project that is very important to the community, so he was very helpful in that regard.”

— Michael Alexander contributed to this report

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.