It's too bad John Edwards keeps saying that he doesn't want the number two spot in Barack Obama's White House bid in the fall- because by the looks of things, Obama/Edwards would make a formidable ticket.
Survey USA conducted general election polls in a number of different battleground states using different president-vice president combinations, and found that when the Democratic nominee is paired with the former Senator for Illinois, the result is an incredibly popular team. On the McCain side, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty- said to be a top contender for McCain's vice presidential slot- fell drastically short of the potential success of Obama/Edwards.
The results give Obama/Edwards double-digit leads in states like New York, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and California. That could mean a landslide for Democrats in November, especially considering the competitive nature of national contests in Pennsylvania and Ohio in recent years. But what's more interesting is that it also predicts considerable victories elsewhere, like Pawlenty's home state of Minnesota, where Obama/Edwards leads by 7 points. And typically red states like Nebraska would also go to the Democrats in a squeaker.
What Edwards brings to the Democratic ticket is essentially twofold: name recognition and a connection with Southern and rural Americans that might be difficult for Obama and a big-city running mate. Plus, Edwards is largely credited with winning "the idea race," succeeding to propel some of his big-ticket issues to the forefront of national debate while he was still in contention for the nomination himself. Case in point: Edwards' national health care plan served as the guiding light for both Clinton and Obama in the crafting of their own universal coverage plans.
And on the Republican side, Pawlenty bolsters the GOP ticket with something McCain drastically lacks: conservative credibility. Over the years, McCain has made a lot of enemies in important demographics- like Evangelical preachers and conservative talk radio personalities. Pawlenty's own American Heartland appeal draws in some of the same vote that made George Bush so successful over the past eight years.
Despite the potential success of a ticket that uses his name, Edwards has maintained that he's not interested in running for vice president a second time, including a recent reiteration of that sentiment this week. Top analysts say that Edwards is far more interested in running the Justice Department, which would allow him to tap into the same talents that made him one of the most successful attorneys in the United States before he left the practice of law for the Senate in 1998.
