Graham considering prez run

This is the kind of thing that can electrify the Democratic Party's chances in 2004: Florida Senator and former guv Bob Graham is considering a presidential bid.

As Mydd notes:

[I]magine the Democrats starting off with Florida, New York, and California in their column.

Let's imagine it. Using the handy calculator at left, I get 113 electoral votes, or nearly 42 percent of the necessary total. If you throw in near-sure things IL, MA and NJ, we're up to 161 votes, or 60 percent of the margin of victory.

From a realpolitik perspective, Graham looks really good. Pair him with Landrieu (who is my top VP choice regardless of who wins the nomination), and we'll have a killer team. Not only geographically, but also one that can stand its own against the inevitable GOP attack on national security.

"I think I have a different perspective on what constitutes national security in this era," Mr. Graham said in a telephone interview from Miami, where earlier in the day he had told reporters of his deliberating. "I put a very high priority on an effective and sustained effort against terrorism, which I do not believe we are pursuing."

The downside is that if Graham wins, the Dems may lose another Senate seat. Many state Republicans are already jockying to take on Graham in 2004. If he goes (and he is the state's most popular politician), it'll create a free-for-all battle.

On the Dem side, Reps Alcee Hastings and Peter Deutsch are interested. Amongst the other potential Dem candidates is Pete Peterson -- whose name seems to come up everytime Florida has an election.

On the GOP side, we have Reps Mark Foley, Bill McCollum, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and -- get this -- KATHERINE HARRIS. I don't think she's ever going to go away...

Posted December 26, 2002 08:57 AM | Comments (94)