Governor Ted Strickland (OH)
Ted Strickland was only elected Governor of Ohio last year. He has previously served in Congress (1993-95, 1997-2007). Strickland's a minister and has also worked as a psychologist and college professor.
Pro:
- Gov. of the state that decided the 2004 presidential election
- Won with 60% of the vote
- He's a minister, might play well in some swing states
Con:
- Has just been elected Gov. in 2006
Suitability for the eventual nominee (rating from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely))
Hillary Clinton:
6 - Ohio's essential, a Gov. would balance the ticket, Strickland won't outshine her like others might
John Edwards:
4 - would give the ticket a regional balance, though a woman or minority VP is more likely
Barack Obama:
4 - Ohio's just around the corner from Illinois, then again so was Tennessee from Arkansas when we had Clinton/Gore
Bill Richardson:
2 - unlikely that he'll pick a Governor, at least not this one
(Wikipedia Bio)
3 comments:
Very interesting. Too early to say much yet though - I'm not sure it's even been 100 days since he took the oath, has it?
Needless to say, I have to agree that the reason he won this kooky state of Ohio (which I do love btw even though
I lived more than half my life in New England) is because of his mixed breed persona.
If voters are looking for someone whom they can trust to be a deliberator and outwardly show that he is conflicted and willing to examine conflict yet still make leader-quality decisions, Strickland is a good one to watch. But again we still need to see how he does in Ohio. There are MANY challenges for him here that we need him to conquer before the White House (though we know history is on the side of Ohioans getting there).
While Ted Strickland took a 'red' state, I don't think he is VP quality. His 'hominess' won't play well in large urban centers and his speeches are dull as is his delivery.
Further he's too new, as Jill mentions. He is not too savvy. There are better choices.
While this isn't the first I've heard of Strickland being a possible VP I highly doubt it will happen. Aside from the many good reasons listed already it comes down to an issue of trust. A lot of Ohioans volunteered time and money to see that Strickland's gubernatorial campaign was a success and if he abandons that post after only two years he'll risk alienating those people, possibly causing him to lose support for any future campaigns.
I also tend to believe that Strickland doesn't want to be VP (at least not yet).
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