Obama Richardson Colorado, Montana, Presidential Politics, The Big Strategy

Over a year ago, we speculated on a Richardson Obama or an Obama Richardson ticket. What I wrote then still looks good to me. Of course, it has been clear for some time that Richardson would not be at the top of the ticket. The Richardson campaign never caught fire, and Governor Richardson wisely ended his campaign. Obama-Richardson could still be a viable ticket in the West and Midwest, but will it happen?

What concerns me and what should concern a lot of Western Democrats is that the GOP may be poised to nominate a Western candidate who can reach across party lines (McCain), while the Democratic Party may be poised to nominate (again) an uncharismatic Easterner who would have difficulty reaching across party lines and who has little appeal in much of the purple West (Clinton). Hillary is a known quantity, and her negative numbers in the West will be very hard to change.

Montana 61% said they would not consider voting for her.

Recent polls in Colorado, Nevada and Arizona have found similar distaste for Clinton.

She's carrying huge negatives out here," said Floyd Ciruli, an independent Colorado pollster who said Democratic congressional candidates would have to highlight their differences with the national party to be successful next year. "It's that liberal East Coast image that is so hard to sell in the West."

One key advisor to a prominent Democratic congressional candidate, who asked not be to identified discussing tensions within the party, went even further. "It's a disaster for Western Democrats," he said. "It keeps me up at night."

Leo Brown | January 20, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) Permalink: Obama Richardson Colorado, Montana, Presidential Politics, The Big Strategy

E-mail to a Friend
Your Name: Your Personal Note:	Your Email: Friends' Emails*: * Separate addresses with commas, semicolons, tabs, or line breaks.