June 05, 2004
Veep
Why Ed Rendell is the best dark horse candidate...
The Kerry campaign has played close to the vest on it's VP choice selection. But with recent polling showing Pennsylvania within reach for Bush, Governor Ed Rendell is a potential dark horse.
Rendell has said he isn't interested in running for VP, but the Kerry campaign cannot lose Pennsylvania and hope to win in November. Kerry is counting on Ohio to be the big swing this election year, but Pennsylvania offsets that strategy in spades. Rendell can deliver Pennsylvania.
There are those who think the loss of Pennsylvania can be offset by the gain of both Ohio and Florida, with Bill Nelson the obvious choice - Bob Graham is simply far, far too wierd to work on a national ticket. But Florida won't be as easy to pick up without Lieberman on the ticket, and with Bush a strong supporter of Israel and increasingly popular among traditionally Democrat Jewish voters, Florida may be a bridge too far.
Rendell and Pennsylvania may be the rubicon.
Posted by MEC2 at June 5, 2004 03:27 PM