Potential Kerry Opponents Dropping Like Flies
Massachusetts: Less than 48 hours after John Kerry announced he would pass on a 2008 Presidential bid and instead run for re-election to the Senate, the MA-GOP lost their two best potential candidates to challenge Kerry. Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles Baker gave an unequivocal "no interest" (and sounded more like a possible 2010 Gov candidate in the process) and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who stumped for Bush in 2004, gave a "not something I ever thought about" reminiscent of former Broncos QB John Elway's similar decline to run for the Colorado seat being vacated by Wayne Allard. The MA-GOP's two biggest names remaining are Kerry Healey, the former Lt. Gov. who just got trounced in the 2006 Gov race, and Andy Card, Bush's former Chief of Staff (whose association to the Bush administration would, no doubt, be toxic). Not much to choose from.
UPDATE (11:41am): Former MA Governor Paul Cellucci is indicating that he is not interested in a 2008 challenge to Senator Kerry with his recent endorsement of former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani for President over recently-departed MA Gov. Mitt Romney, who sought Cellucci's endorsement and would have been helpful to Cellucci if he was interested in the Senate seat.
2 Comments:
There's also U.S. Attorney Mike Sullivan. Though only someone as rankly partisan as you would try to paint the lack of Republicans in Massachusetts as surprising. Where's your in-depth feature on how there's no Democratic challenger in Alabama or Oklahoma?
va blogger - While I may be "rankly partisan," as you put it, I'm not "un-factual."
In Alabama, I followed U.S. Rep. Artur Davis' flirtation with a Senate bid and his subsequent withdrawal from such consideration, as we await somebody else to step forward. I also ranked Jeff Sessions as the seventh safest GOP Senator.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, I've highlighted Gov. Henry's and Rep. Boren's declines to challenge Inhofe. But even you have to admit that it isn't as hard for a Democrat to win in Oklahoma as it used to be. Henry was just re-elected Governor over Rep. Ernie Istook by a landslide 2-to-1 margin. And former Rep. Brad Carson gave Tom Coburn a neck-and-neck race in 2004 until the last couple weeks of the race.
So, um, what was your question again?
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