Standing in a long security line at Des Moines Airport on the morning after the Iowa presidential caucuses, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting considered a newspaper front page and remarked, “That could be the ticket.”
The headline–“Kerry, Edwards, 1, 2”–ran nearly a month ago, and through 13 ensuing primaries and caucuses, the dynamics of the Democratic contest haven’t changed, fueling speculation that John Kerry will choose John Edwards as his running mate.
Of course, neither the Kerry campaign nor the Edwards organization will publicly join in the speculation. Kerry, after all, still has not won the presidential nomination, though few analysts doubt the Massachusetts senator will. And Edwards, the moment he indicates a willingness to accept the No. 2 spot, dooms whatever chances he has left of topping the ticket.
But that does not stop the popular political parlor game of choosing a running mate for the nominee, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each, the pros and cons of their geographic base, their ethnicity, even their gender.
It is a time-honored ritual that now involves matching Kerry with a host of others besides the senator from North Carolina. They include: Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri; retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark of Arkansas; Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico; Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia; Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa; former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana; Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana; and retiring Sen. John Breaux, also of Louisiana.
Many influential Democrats view Edwards as a logical choice for Kerry’s running mate.
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Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s senior black politician, who gave Kerry a big endorsement boost in that state’s primary, is behind the hypothetical pairing of Kerry and Edwards.
“I do believe that with a Kerry-Edwards ticket, we can sweep this nation and bring the South along with it,” Clyburn said.