Milt Palacio

Governors Lining Up Early for Oval Office

Some of the top governors expected to be contenders in 2008:

Democrats
Mark Warner-Virginia
Bill Richardson-New Mexico
Phil Bredesen-Tennessee
Mike Easley-North Carolina
Tom Vilsack-Iowa
Ed Rendell-Pennsylvania

Republicans
Mitt Romney-Massachusetts
Mark Sanford-South Carolina
Jeb Bush-Florida
Bill Owens-Colorado
Haley Barbour-Mississippi

Anybody have any opinions?

TheAngel

I've heard from some reputable Democratic sources that Indiana Senator Evan Bayh will also be making a run for the presidency in 2008. Thought you might want to look at that. I don't know anything about the governors though. I don't usually follow the careers of politicians on a state level outside of my own state.

ceilirose

Like the article says Romney of Massachusetts might have some trouble getting re-elected in 2006. He's wearing a bit thin and seems to always be out of state raising money for himself or some other candidate.

In fact he's behind in one of the polls to Tom Reilly the Democratic Attorney General. Reilly may be a tough candidate. He's a pretty no nonsense kind of guy and he has a great record as a prosecutor.

From what I've heard one of Romney's options is to not run again and concentrate on the Presidential run.

TheAngel

I imagine that that would be the more intelligent move anyway. It would be extremely expensive and time consuming to back two campaigns so close together.

ceilirose

Right but also if he loses the governor's race in '06 it could set back his presidential aspirations. Right now it looks like the race will be tight between him and Reilly. He would have to raise and spend alot of money to hope to win and then to step down 2 years later..seems like a waste of time and energy. But who knows.

No1important

I would like to see Mrs. Clinton run for the democrats.

AuburnGrad

I really do not see Bredesen running in '08. While he's much more conservative than I'd like, I think he's done a decent job of governing the state of Tennessee. He lacks charisma, but his business style and ability to reach out to all voters, despite political party affiliation, have increased his popularity here...though some Democrats are slowly starting to back away from him. Bredesen is a fiscal conservative, and up until recently I've been supportive and happy with him. He recently made drastic cuts to TennCare, state health coverage for those who otherwise could not afford health coverage or those who are uninsurable. While admittedly TennCare sucked Tennessee into a black hole financially, I'm not convinced Bredesen did all he could to save the program. Now hundreds of thousands of people will be without health coverage including the mentally ill, cancer patients, and the like.

For me, Bredesen is too conservative to be my president. However, the argument can be made that in order to get a Dem in the White House, the Democratic Party needs a moderate to reach out to Republican voters. I understand that, though I do not necessarily want to agree.

Now, if say, the race in '08 came down between Bredesen and God forbid Frist/Jeb Bush/Condi Rice/etc., I might could conjure up enough comfort in voting for him.

ETA: If Bredesen does decide to run in '08, I hope he chooses a more liberal runningmate. I would back that ticket.

Milt Palacio

From what I've read, there's a good chance he will. Richardson, Warner, and Bredesen are the three Democratic governors most likely to run for president in 2008 (Richardson has alread told the party he will).

Amy, Harold Ford Jr. is running for Bill Frist's senate seat in 2006. Supposedly he's one of the top rising stars in the Democratic party.

ceilirose

Hi Amy...this isn't about Presidential candidates but I was wondering what you think of Harald Ford Jr. and his senate chances in 2006.

Thanks.

P.S. Would his Congressional seat go back to a Republican if he did happen to win?

AuburnGrad

The buzz about Bredesen is growing stronger, that's for sure. I just don't see it happening, though. While I do not agree with everything Bredesen stands for, like I said, if he were coupled with a more liberal running mate or vice versa, I would definitely vote for that ticket. Any of those three I would be willing to back.

Harold Ford, Jr. is quite popular...in Memphis. I would be willing to bet most Tennesseans east of Memphis have no idea who he is or would probably confuse him with his less-than-desirable relatives. His father, a former congressman, was indicted on conspiracy and fraud charges while his uncle, John Ford, is currently at the center of a scandal claiming he used state funds to pay for personal expenses (like his daughter's elaborate Memphis wedding). The latter is really the only major obstacle I see in his way. He will need to prove to Tennesseans he is nothing like his relatives, and he has been open about the differences between them and the fact you "can't choose your family".

Ford, Jr. reminds me of a combination of Bill Clinton and Al Gore. He's charismatic, good-looking, an ok speaker (though I would argue Clinton is the better of the two), and reaches out to both sides. Like Al Gore, he comes from wealth and a long politically involved family. He's quite moderate, though, -a Southern Democrat- and has stated he is against gay marriage, supports the war in Iraq, and is not against privatizing social security. He did, however, support Kerry during his run for the Presidency and holds his own against opponents.

I'm pleased about his run for the senate because while I disagree with the man on several issues I would much rather have Ford, Jr. in than another Frist type. I've even heard from some that he would make a great running mate for Clinton in '08. I do think he would be great VP material, as would Phil Bredesen, alongside a liberal candidate.

As for his chances in the senate race, I'd say they were pretty good. If he can distance himself from his family, I think most Tennesseans would be willing to vote for him considering he's a moderate candidate.

I'm not sure who would occupy his congressional seat if he were to win the senate race.

Milt Palacio

How long is a U.S. representative's term? 4 years or 2 years?

I believe if a Senator or Congressman leaves their seat halfway during their term, the current governor gets to appoint a replacement until the next election.

TheAngel

I think it's two years. I'm trying to find out but that's surprisingly hard.

Milt Palacio

Yep, he's definitely running. He's a Senator now, but used to be governor of Indiana.

He may be a good candidate, but he's very dull.

sum1

Jeez, that's sounds nightmarishly horrible.

I really don't want the Republicans to run Jeb Bush. I want Guilani for next president and Condi for vice president.

mh67511

I heard Chuck Hagel from Nebraska was considering running. I hope he does because Nebraskan's are just awesome! And he's just a great guy if you ask me and would make a great President.