Prez Contenders
Taken from the St. Louis Dispatch:
In the running? A list of possible presidential candidates
John McCain. To many, the senator from Arizona's candidacy is a foregone conclusion and his recent buddying up to Bush loyalists and other old adversaries suggests he's serious. He's a genuine hero with terror-fighting credentials and know-how in handling the media. Allies say he's the answer to the GOP independent-voter problem that exploded last week.
Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani. He continually scores well in national polls, and GOP candidates across the land flew in the ex-New York mayor (circa 2001) as an anti-terror symbol. But he's given no indication thus far of wanting to run and skeptics wonder how far his distinctly moderate Republicanism would play among hard-core GOP conservatives.
Mitt Romney. Perhaps no one benefited more from the collapsing political career of Virginia Sen. George Allen, which opened up a space in the party's conservative wing. His ability to become governor of Massachusetts shows electability and his well-known name and good looks are assets. Skeptics wonder whether his Mormon faith would play in places like South Carolina, a key primary state.
Newt Gingrich. The leader of the GOP revolution of 1994 was once one of the most powerful politicians in America. He's a big thinker who confuses some and bores others with wordy statements such as his goal of "defining the idea context and solution context of the next generation of American politics." Name ID would be no problem.
Bill Frist. The heart surgeon and outgoing Senate majority leader is moving back to Tennessee to make up his mind about a national campaign after term-limiting himself in Washington. His intellect is admired but he may have damaged his future by orchestrating perceived Senate missteps on immigration and the debate over Terri Schiavo.
Chuck Hagel. The Nebraska senator is regarded by some as McCain-light for his straight-shooting ways, such as calling the GOP Medicare prescription drug bill "a sham and a ripoff for everybody." But he's more conservative than McCain and his personal story - turning a $5,000 investment into a cellular phone empire - would have appeal.
Mike Huckabee. A Baptist minister and TV executive, the outgoing Arkansas governor has strong anti-abortion credentials that would be appealing in the right-leaning universe of Republican primaries. Despite dealing with a Democratic legislature, he scored successes on health-care and other issues as governor, the preferred platform these days for seeking the White House.
Duncan Hunter. Who? You may have missed the news, but the hawkish California congressman who headed the House Armed Services Committee declared recently that he is taking steps to run for the White House. He regards himself as a defender of the Reagan legacy; he's an immigration hard-liner and engineer of the controversial border fence.
Rick Santorum. Unlike fellow loser George Allen in Virginia, the defeated Pennsylvania senator who once was touted as the face of the Republican revolution is viewed as having a ballot future because of a wide following in the GOP and an ability to put the concept of compassionate conservatism into practice.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The California governor and movie muscle-man who was re-elected last week is showing Republicans how to appeal to African Americans, Hispanics and environmentalists. But no, he can't run for president because he wasn't born in the United States.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton. She's queen of the hill in polls and her 1.5 million-vote Senate re-election victory last week shows she can play upstate and everywhere else in New York. She'll be a major player with the advantage of first-rate advice at home. Her principal task is persuading Democrats she's electable around the country.
John Kerry. Most of the dozens of candidates the Massachusetts senator stumped for won last week. But his "botched joke" about non-studious young folks ending up in Iraq gave the GOP something to talk about in the campaign's waning days and had some old allies remarking that the Masssachusetts senator has already blown one big election too many.
John Edwards. The 2004 vice-presidential candidate has been a conscience in his party and kept his potent "One America" campaign theme resonating by stressing poverty issues and global hunger upon his return to North Carolina. Elizabeth Edwards' battle with breast cancer since the last campaign makes his rags-to-riches family story that much more poignant.
Barack Obama. His rise to the status of rock star is a cultural phenomenon that has stunned political pros. Were it not for an accompanying rise to the top tier in polls of Democratic presidential hopefuls, the pros might not be so impressed. In weighing whether the Illinoisan is ready to run, he's surely considering whether two years of Senate experience is enough.
Al Gore. "An Inconvenient Truth," the film in which he stars, posits that the human race has a decade or so to avert calamity from climate change. He has the environmental message to run on if he chooses to make the race, and can rightly claim to be the last Democratic presidential candidate to win a majority of votes. But he may conclude that voters want a new face.
Russ Feingold. The senator from Wisconsin showed the political establishment how to win with hilarious TV ads, and he can feel vindicated now that the American electorate has caught up with his anti-war sentiments. "I'm just now beginning to think about what the implications are for what I do," he said after the midterm election, hinting that he might be cooling on a campaign.
Evan Bayh. His name has been popping up since the 1990s as a fresh Democratic face, and Indiana's junior senator, now 50, may need to decide soon whether voters still would see the freshness. Democratic victories last week in Indiana, a state as red as Hoosier jerseys, suggest renewed appeal in the Midwest for Democratic devotees of moderate politics.
Tom Vilsack. The outgoing Iowa governor got a jump on the field last week when he filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to set up his campaign for the White House. Experts say he makes up in centrism what he lacks in charisma. His campaign receipts in a "Gala Celebration of American Community" fund-raiser in Des Moines Dec. 2 could help him make up his mind.
Bill Richardson. The New Mexico governor and former energy secretary in the Clinton administration is a skilled campaigner with a quick wit who can claim Hispanic heritage at a time of expanding influence of both Hispanics and Western voters in Democratic politics. He said last week he'll decide shortly whether to make the race, which might be aimed at vice president.
Joe Biden. He ran for president once, back in the late 1980s, but quit after being accused of plagiarism. The irrepressible Biden, elected to the Senate at age 29, is an adroit strategist who will carry on at length on global issues and anything else. He asserted more than a year ago that he'll run for his party's nomination if he concludes he has a shot to win it.
In the running? A list of possible presidential candidates
John McCain. To many, the senator from Arizona's candidacy is a foregone conclusion and his recent buddying up to Bush loyalists and other old adversaries suggests he's serious. He's a genuine hero with terror-fighting credentials and know-how in handling the media. Allies say he's the answer to the GOP independent-voter problem that exploded last week.
Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani. He continually scores well in national polls, and GOP candidates across the land flew in the ex-New York mayor (circa 2001) as an anti-terror symbol. But he's given no indication thus far of wanting to run and skeptics wonder how far his distinctly moderate Republicanism would play among hard-core GOP conservatives.
Mitt Romney. Perhaps no one benefited more from the collapsing political career of Virginia Sen. George Allen, which opened up a space in the party's conservative wing. His ability to become governor of Massachusetts shows electability and his well-known name and good looks are assets. Skeptics wonder whether his Mormon faith would play in places like South Carolina, a key primary state.
Newt Gingrich. The leader of the GOP revolution of 1994 was once one of the most powerful politicians in America. He's a big thinker who confuses some and bores others with wordy statements such as his goal of "defining the idea context and solution context of the next generation of American politics." Name ID would be no problem.
Bill Frist. The heart surgeon and outgoing Senate majority leader is moving back to Tennessee to make up his mind about a national campaign after term-limiting himself in Washington. His intellect is admired but he may have damaged his future by orchestrating perceived Senate missteps on immigration and the debate over Terri Schiavo.
Chuck Hagel. The Nebraska senator is regarded by some as McCain-light for his straight-shooting ways, such as calling the GOP Medicare prescription drug bill "a sham and a ripoff for everybody." But he's more conservative than McCain and his personal story - turning a $5,000 investment into a cellular phone empire - would have appeal.
Mike Huckabee. A Baptist minister and TV executive, the outgoing Arkansas governor has strong anti-abortion credentials that would be appealing in the right-leaning universe of Republican primaries. Despite dealing with a Democratic legislature, he scored successes on health-care and other issues as governor, the preferred platform these days for seeking the White House.
Duncan Hunter. Who? You may have missed the news, but the hawkish California congressman who headed the House Armed Services Committee declared recently that he is taking steps to run for the White House. He regards himself as a defender of the Reagan legacy; he's an immigration hard-liner and engineer of the controversial border fence.
Rick Santorum. Unlike fellow loser George Allen in Virginia, the defeated Pennsylvania senator who once was touted as the face of the Republican revolution is viewed as having a ballot future because of a wide following in the GOP and an ability to put the concept of compassionate conservatism into practice.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The California governor and movie muscle-man who was re-elected last week is showing Republicans how to appeal to African Americans, Hispanics and environmentalists. But no, he can't run for president because he wasn't born in the United States.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton. She's queen of the hill in polls and her 1.5 million-vote Senate re-election victory last week shows she can play upstate and everywhere else in New York. She'll be a major player with the advantage of first-rate advice at home. Her principal task is persuading Democrats she's electable around the country.
John Kerry. Most of the dozens of candidates the Massachusetts senator stumped for won last week. But his "botched joke" about non-studious young folks ending up in Iraq gave the GOP something to talk about in the campaign's waning days and had some old allies remarking that the Masssachusetts senator has already blown one big election too many.
John Edwards. The 2004 vice-presidential candidate has been a conscience in his party and kept his potent "One America" campaign theme resonating by stressing poverty issues and global hunger upon his return to North Carolina. Elizabeth Edwards' battle with breast cancer since the last campaign makes his rags-to-riches family story that much more poignant.
Barack Obama. His rise to the status of rock star is a cultural phenomenon that has stunned political pros. Were it not for an accompanying rise to the top tier in polls of Democratic presidential hopefuls, the pros might not be so impressed. In weighing whether the Illinoisan is ready to run, he's surely considering whether two years of Senate experience is enough.
Al Gore. "An Inconvenient Truth," the film in which he stars, posits that the human race has a decade or so to avert calamity from climate change. He has the environmental message to run on if he chooses to make the race, and can rightly claim to be the last Democratic presidential candidate to win a majority of votes. But he may conclude that voters want a new face.
Russ Feingold. The senator from Wisconsin showed the political establishment how to win with hilarious TV ads, and he can feel vindicated now that the American electorate has caught up with his anti-war sentiments. "I'm just now beginning to think about what the implications are for what I do," he said after the midterm election, hinting that he might be cooling on a campaign.
Evan Bayh. His name has been popping up since the 1990s as a fresh Democratic face, and Indiana's junior senator, now 50, may need to decide soon whether voters still would see the freshness. Democratic victories last week in Indiana, a state as red as Hoosier jerseys, suggest renewed appeal in the Midwest for Democratic devotees of moderate politics.
Tom Vilsack. The outgoing Iowa governor got a jump on the field last week when he filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to set up his campaign for the White House. Experts say he makes up in centrism what he lacks in charisma. His campaign receipts in a "Gala Celebration of American Community" fund-raiser in Des Moines Dec. 2 could help him make up his mind.
Bill Richardson. The New Mexico governor and former energy secretary in the Clinton administration is a skilled campaigner with a quick wit who can claim Hispanic heritage at a time of expanding influence of both Hispanics and Western voters in Democratic politics. He said last week he'll decide shortly whether to make the race, which might be aimed at vice president.
Joe Biden. He ran for president once, back in the late 1980s, but quit after being accused of plagiarism. The irrepressible Biden, elected to the Senate at age 29, is an adroit strategist who will carry on at length on global issues and anything else. He asserted more than a year ago that he'll run for his party's nomination if he concludes he has a shot to win it.