Surveying the Democratic Field
When I posted on the importance of the West in the 2008 congressional campaign, the question about the best candidate for the top of the ticket naturally came up. Here are my thoughts on current field of Democratic candidates and how they might run in the West, either in the primaries or the general election. (Click here for the list of candidates, their backgrounds, and websites.) I would be interested in your opinion.
--Former Gov. Tom Vilsack (IA): Plausible candidate from the Midwest, but unknown in the West.
--Gov. Bill Richardson (NM): The best positioned for the West. Western. Hispanic. Experienced. Moderate. Not saddled with a vote authorizing the Iraq War. Still an unknown to much of the electorate outside of his home state. Can he break into the front rank of candidates?
--Sen. Barack Obama (IL): Technically from the Very Far West (born in Hawaii), but really from Illinois. The black vote isn’t a big factor in the West, but intelligence and charisma have universal appeal. A fresh face, but also less experienced. Already widely considered to be running second to Hillary.
--Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH): A very long shot.
--Former Vice President Al Gore (TN): Carried New Mexico and the West Coast last time out. Has found his voice on the environment and global warming. Will he run again?
--Former Sen. John Edwards (NC): Moderate and well known, but can he catch fire out West? Running perhaps third in the race currently.
--Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT): A silver-haired Senator, but unknown in the West.
--Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY): The presumed leader of the field. Loved by many in the blue states, demonized by many in the red states. Not our strongest candidate for the Intermountain West. She is known to all, yet is currently trying to define her campaign in Iowa. Her husband ran well in the West, but does the West, or the rest of the country for that matter, yearn to move beyond a Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton cycle?
--Gen. Wesley Clark: Military career might play well in the West.
--Sen. Joe Biden (DE): A strong voice on foreign policy. Not well known in the West.
--Former Sen. Mike Gravel (AK): From the West, but a long shot.
--Rev. Al Sharpton (NY): Not a chance.
--Gov. Brian Schweitzer (MT): A Western favorite and Western Democrat superstar, but apparently not running. And Montana only has three electoral votes.
--Sen. Blanche Lincoln (AR): A moderate, but not known in the West and not running as far as I can tell.
--Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA): From the biggest state in the West. She has shown real moxie in standing up early and often against Bush and the GOP in the Senate, especially on the war, but apparently not running. More liberal than some of the other candidates, but not afraid to stand up for what she believes, an appealing trait, especially in the West.
Perhaps others will join the field. I am confident that a good ticket can be fashioned from the above. While I have my favorites, I would also like to see how these candidates handle issues and ideas between now and the convention in Denver.
Leo Brown | January 30, 2007 | Comment on This Post (4 so far) |
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Already widely considered to be running second to Hillary.
Ignore all polls. In January of 2003, the leading contenders were Joe Lieberman and Dick Gephardt. At that point, Al Sharpton had twice as much support as Howard Dean. Here's the poll data.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jan 30, 2007 8:31:18 AM
Kari, I am willing to ignore the polls this early, including those in Iowa, but the country isn't ready at this point to ignore Barack. He, like most of the candidates, could yet stumble or take off like a rocket. In the dream scenario, the contest goes all the way to the convention in Denver.
Posted by: Leo Brown | Jan 30, 2007 9:07:36 AM
Can you do a post about Barack Obama's stances on issues and how they will play out in the West? I think that would be very informative.
Posted by: ketu | Jan 31, 2007 6:03:51 PM
Re Obama and the issues. Let me look into this. It is interesting to watch the meltdown of the Biden campaign. Just as Obama transcends race, he may also transcend region. Some issues are unique to the West (water). Some issues play out differently in the West (climate change). Some issues are universal (education, health insurance, war).
Posted by: Leo Brown | Feb 1, 2007 9:58:16 PM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
