While most of the media focuses on the four most frequently mentioned vice presidential candidates who could potentially be selected by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in the hours or days ahead, the informed reader might want to take a good look at one more possible choice: Representative Chet Edwards of Texas. Though he’s rarely mentioned among the other top choices- Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas,- Edwards nonetheless has been floated by a number of different people as a very real possibility, especially if Obama decides to go with a surprise selection. Several campaign officials told the AP that Edwards, along with the Democrats mentioned above, had made Obama’s closely guarded short list of finalists. There are several reasons to believe that Edwards is in the running for the number two spot on the ticket, however stealth he may be in doing so. First and foremost, he’s the man House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been pushing on the Obama campaign and it’s VP selection team. On August 3rd, Pelosi told ABC’s This Week, “I hope he will be the nominee.” Of course, Pelosi has no say in Obama’s decision. But however implicitly she may have operated, her rhetoric and press statements during the strenuous Democratic primary seemed exceptionally supportive of Senator Obama. Edwards first won election to the House in 1990, and has held strong ever since. As a result of redistricting in 2004, he was forced to run in a district that had become much more heavily conservative, but still managed to eke out a 3.5% margin of victory- an impressive feat, especially considering that his district voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election by more than 70%. An Edwards choice might be considered bold in that the current lines put Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch firmly inside his district. But Edwards isn’t without his drawbacks. His selection would bring a decidedly conservative element to the campaign, especially on social issues. He openly supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. Additionally, his current office significantly limits his name recognition. As a congressman, he’s just one of just 435 in the House of Representatives, which is why presidential candidates typically opt for more notable running mates, like Senators (who are one in a body of 100) or governors (who are one in a body of 50). Moreover, it’s unlikely that selecting Edwards would put Texas into play. Of course, presidents have tried their luck with congressmen on their ticket before. In 1996, GOP nominee Bob Dole selected New York Representative Jack Kemp, though the ticket struggled considerably. In 1984, Minnesota Senator and Democratic nominee Walter Mondale selected New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro. This ticket suffered what is arguably the worst defeat in modern political history, carrying just 13 electoral votes to Ronald Reagan’s 525. Just four years earlier, Reagan himself chose a former Congressman George H.W. Bush on his ultimately successful ticket (though Bush had since served as an ambassador and the director of the CIA).
