Edwards Could Tip North Carolina For Kerry

[Bombtrack]

President Bush leads Sen. John Kerry in North Carolina, but according to a WRAL/Mason-Dixon Poll, "if Kerry chooses Sen. John Edwards as his running-mate, the race in the state currently becomes a dead-heat."

"Statewide, Bush is supported by 48% of voters, while Kerry is backed by 41%, independent Ralph Nader draws 3% and 8% remain undecided. With Edwards as Kerry's running-mate, the GOP ticket of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney is favored by 46%, the Kerry/Edwards Democratic ticket gets 45%, Nader draws 2% and 7% are undecided."
http://www.wral.com/news/3319278/detail.html

[freetobegay]

1. To bad theres 49 other States!

[Gildor Inglorion]

2. Forget the south (I'm a southerner)...

Kerry is NOT going to carry it, even if he appears on prime-time TV walking on water and raising the dead. He needs to choose a VP who will help him carry the ONE state he needs to pick up to win....either New Hampshire, Ohio, or West Virginia. Getting rid of the Chimp is all that matters.

[Bombtrack]

3. No shit he can't win "the south". But clearly he can carry a couple states

Wether it be NC. Or much more easily FLorida, and a little less easily Arkansas. West Virginia is culturally closer to being a southern state than a midwestern one, and Edwards could help in that.

There are about as many southern battleground electoral votes if NC is included as there are midwestern battleground EV's

[AP]

4. And time and money Bush has to spend in NC to secure what should be a

red state means less time and money Bush gets to spend in a battleground state.

duh.

[Finch]

5. And don't forget the other states that Edwards would win for Kerry...

Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are states where "Senator Sunshines" appeal amongst moderates, blue collar workers and independents could tip the balance... no other candidate offers such broad appeal for Kerry and such low negaitives...

If Kerry wins NC, I will flip... really i will... I'm a southerner and for Kerry to win a state as redoubtably southern as NC I will be over the moon. :toast:

[KittyWampus]

6. Edwards Can't Win A Damn Thing For Kerry.

Just like NO VP candidate can win ANY state for Kerry.

It is absurd to even suggest it, although large amounts of DU'ers persist in posting such nonsense.

[AP]

7. Closing the gap from 7 to 1 in NC is nothing to scoff at.

Furthermore, there is definitely a mood in America whereby people who paid attention in the primaries LIKE Edwards and want to see him on the ticket. Many feel like they voted for Kerry over Edwards in the primary with the feeling that they were going to get Edwards as VP.

I can't think of a presidential primary in recent years where there was so much enthusiasm for putting another primary participant on the ticket as VP.

Nobody thought it should have been Clinton-Brown or Clinton-Tsongas. Nobody thought Gore should pick Bradley. For many people in those primaries voted for Clinton and Gore because they DIDN'T want to see the others on the ticket.

That's not the mood this year at all.

In many southern super tuesday states, 40% of the voters said they wanted him to be VP. Less than 20% actually voted for him. So, somebody else was getting a lot of votes from people who want Edwards on the ticket.

[Finch]

10. Give Edwards a Hotel room in Ohio...

...and just see what happens, true Edwards will (sadly) not be at the top of the ticket but he will have a massive impact in changing people's perceptions of Kerry and the ticket as a whole a charismatic likable moderate with populist flare against a slightly aloof and dour Liberal is the perfect match and could really help Kerry... the polls have shown that Edwards would have a huge impact on the strength of the ticket in the Midwest, steel states and even in the south (there however primarily in the senate races)... Edwards is the only VP candidate who can really boost Kerry in the regions where it counts.

Another point, Mason-Dixon are a very good firm, excellent record and a solid methodology this should be a very reliable poll. Excellent stuff... :bounce:

[mmonk]

8. It would put bush in a little bit of a bind

by adding NC as a battleground state and thus stretching their time and budget.

[mmonk]

9. And they are already spending alot of time in the state

possibly in anticipation that he may become the choice.

[robbedvoter]

11. Shouldn't this interesting speculation be in GD 2004?

I usually come here for relevant discussions and go there for merriment. Now I am all confused....