Five Names on Obama’s VP Shortlist

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:15 am

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According to various media reports, the Barack Obama presidential campaign is starting the vetting process in their search for his running mate. Only Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) would confirm that he has been asked to provide more information to Obama’s search team.

Dodd told the AP that the search team has made inquiries, so we can safely add Dodd to the shortlist. The Connecticut Senator does fit the comments of campaign manager David Plouffe who has said that Obama’s running mate might not be selected for geographic purposes only.

Interestingly two of the other names rumored to be on the shortlist made the rounds on the morning shows today. John Edwards was on ABC’s Good Morning America talking about Phil Gramm’s comments, and McCain’s Iraq policy, and Bill Richardson was on Fox and Friends, CNN’s American Morning, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Richardson talked about Iran, FISA, offshore drilling, the Hispanic vote, and Phil Gramm.

The two women said to be on the list wouldn’t say if they were being vetted. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas said that it up to Obama, and Sen. Claire McCatskill (D-MO) said that she would not talk about it, and Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) said that he has not been asked for information. Judging from the fact that Sebelius and McCaskill wouldn’t answer the question, and Richardson and Edwards are everywhere on television, it is a pretty safe bet that they are all on the list.

It looks like the Obama campaign is targeting a running mate who might help in a state, but also appeal to a group of votes. McCaskill would help in a tight Missouri race, and Sebelius is from Ohio, where her father served as governor. They also would both appeal to female voters. Richardson would appeal to Hispanic voters, and help in the swing state of New Mexico, while Edwards would boost Obama with white men and lives in North Carolina which is a state that Obama is trying to flip.

These are five really good choices, but if I was to rank them, the list would look like this:

1). John Edwards

2). Bill Richardson

3). Kathleen Sebelius

4). Claire McCaskill

5). Chris Dodd

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association