Veepstakes, California Style
Al Gore won't announce his choice for running mate until the Democratic National convention in August. His campaign insists it is too early to even begin talking about the process. But Gore's return to California this week for the first time since clinching the nomination will likely ignite talk about two prospects from the Golden State - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and California Governor Gray Davis.
The two have appeared on pundits' lists of vice-presidential candidates for a variety of strategic reasons. Number one is the consideration that Gore will have to win California in November, and whether he'll need help from in-state to do so.
Davis would bring outside-the-beltway credentials, which match or surpass those of GOP opponent George W. Bush. Like his Texas counterpart, California's Governor has made education reform a state priority. Davis' status as a Vietnam vet (and Bronze Star winner) gives him commander-in-chief credibility, and he is Roman Catholic, which could help Gore in some Midwestern battleground states. Furthermore, if Davis goes to the Washington, Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante would move into California's highest elected office. The advancement of Bustamante, a Hispanic, would increase the ticket's appeal among Latinos.
Davis and Gore take a centrist, "New Democrat" approach to government and are longtime friends. But they also share a deficit in the charisma department.
"(Davis) is not a warm, personable, retail-type campaigner," says Bruce Cain, Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC-Berkeley. Cain says Davis would bring excellent fund-raising capabilities to the Gore campaign, but notes that he has a rocky history in state politics.
"A lot of people in the Democratic party are lukewarm about Gray Davis," says Cain. "For Diane Feinstein, I think there is genuine affection (and enthusiasm.)"
Oh, and there's the other problem: Davis says he doesn't want to be vice president. Davis was adamant on the point when running for his first term in 1998, dismissing the job as a mere advisory role. The governor's press secretary says Davis has not changed his mind. Nevertheless, one can expect to see Davis and Gore together in California.
So what about Feinstein? As a senator from the country's most populous state, she outranks all other female candidates in name recognition and national stature. Feinstein would diversify the ticket and could attract independents and pro-choice Republican women to the polls.
The downside? She's running for re-election and in position to win. So she may not want the job, either. Moreover, if she moves into the White House, the Democrats risk losing her seat, jeopardizing their hopes to ultimately take control of the Congress again.
"Everything will depend on who George Bush chooses," says political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, who sees Feinstein as a potential running mate only if Bush selects a woman.
Gore as the advantage of announcing his choice after the Texas governor because the Republican National Convention comes first.
But Jeffe, a Senior Associate at the Claremont Graduate University, says she would be "astonished" if Gore chose anyone from California to share the ticket - because it would send a negative message about his ability to carry the state without a crutch.
"The message (would be that) California is in play. And it ought not to be for him," says Jeffe. "If he feels he has to focus on California, it's over."