Posted on 03/30/2004 8:11:14 AM PST by BlackRazor
House Dems lobby for Kerry-Gephardt ticket
Midwestern ties, fundraising power cited by Rep. Brown
By Lauren Shepherd
Several House Democrats are pushing for a Washington-insider presidential ticket featuring the presumptive nominee, Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), and former candidate Rep. Dick Gephardt (Mo.).
The idea of a Kerry-Gephardt ticket has started gaining ground among congressional members eyeing Gephardt’s 14 terms in Washington, his large fundraising network and his Midwestern ties.
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Gephardt would be the best fit for the Democratic ticket, despite the congressman’s lackluster performance in the party’s presidential nominating process. Gephardt dropped out after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, which he had won in 1988.
“To me, he makes the most sense,” Brown said. “There’s no one who has fought for American jobs longer than Dick Gephardt.”
Brown said that he and Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) are writing a letter to the Kerry campaign, saying that a Kerry-Gephardt ticket would help deliver Ohio votes.
A House Democratic aide said that a few other individual members are publicly backing Gephardt’s inclusion on the ticket but that there is no caucus-wide campaign to support him as the vice-presidential nominee.
The aide said members had been so focused on choosing which Democrat to endorse in the primary that many have not been vocal about their choice for a running mate.
“That’s the next effort,” said the aide.
Although several members already have made up their minds, others still are debating who could help give the presidency back to the Democrats.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) supported Kerry in the primary but has not said whom he wants the presumptive nominee to choose as his partner on the ticket.
Gephardt “is clearly one of the people” suited for the job, Frank said. “First of all, he meets the basic test — he is qualified to be president. Then it becomes a case of who brings things politically.”
Gephardt, Frank added, “has a lot of strength in people, in jobs and in the Midwestern states.”
Frank said that before Kerry decides on a running mate, he must decide on a strategy and then choose a candidate who can help implement it.
“You look for someone with some political impact, someone who is more moderate or gets you conservative votes, someone who can carry Florida,” he said. “He [Gephardt] is as good a choice as any.”
Gephardt may already be trying to prove himself a viable choice. The congressman spent last weekend campaigning with Kerry in Missouri and helping him convince former Gephardt donors to open their wallets for Kerry.
On Saturday, Kerry and Gephardt held a round-table discussion in Kansas City and a rally in St. Louis. Later that night, Gephardt accompanied Kerry to a private fundraiser with some of Gephardt’s previous backers.
Former Agriculture Secretary and Rep. Dan Glickman (D-Kan.), who now runs the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School, said the campaign appearance shows that Kerry and Gephardt have a good relationship — a key factor in determining who receives a vice-presidential nod.
Kerry “wouldn’t be doing it if he didn’t like him or trust him,” said Glickman of the Missouri trip.
Glickman added that Gephardt could help Kerry in industrial battleground states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
But some lawmakers disagreed, saying other contenders are better suited for the job.
Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.), for example, endorsed Edwards in the primary and has been supporting him as a potential vice-presidential nominee, citing his ability to energize swing voters and independents.
“I think he would be helpful on the ticket,” Wynn said. “We’ve got to appeal to independents in a lot of states.”
Regardless of Gephardt’s ability to bring newcomers to the Democratic Party, political scientist Larry Sabato said the congressman is “very much on the list” of potential candidates.
“You get a lot with Gephardt — it’s a good package,” Sabato said, noting Gephardt’s experience, labor-union ties and presumed ability to help Kerry win Missouri votes. Bush won the state by only 78,000 votes in 2000.
Sabato added that a vice president typically does not have as much sway with voters as the presidential nominee.
“Nobody votes for vice president anyway,” he said.
Shawn Smith contributed to this article.
Bland wears well over the long run, as long as you dont let the other guy fill in the gaps. Kerry, OTOH, is really a shallow, mean-spirited aristocrat, and that doesen't wear too well over time.
Yes, but he had dropped out of the race by that point.
No, he pulled out. He would have won easily, though. They like him down there, for some reason.
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