Kerry/Vilsack vs. Bush/Cheney

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Kerry picks Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as his running mate.

Discuss with maps.

[Miles]

Pretty simple:

Bush still wins, 279-259.

Kerry wins IA and wins by a higher margin in WI. Bush wins OH with less than 50%.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Vilsack actually brought something to the table, unlike Edwards.

I'd say that Kerry narrowly wins, picking up Ohio and Iowa. He'd have to sacrifice NM and NV though; IIRC, Vilsack is an English-only guy.

[Del Tachi]

Pretty simple:

Bush still wins, 279-259.

Kerry wins IA and wins by a higher margin in WI. Bush wins OH with less than 50%.

^^^^^^^
This

[jbgator]

Hindsight shows Edwards brought zero to the ticket.  Vilsack would have brought Iowa but probably nothing else.  Someone like Richardson would have been best - a minority who could have helped win some Western states.  Richardson would have been able to go head-to-head with Cheney on experience and also would have put New Mexico in the D column and put Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada in play.

[feeblepizza]

Pretty simple:

Bush still wins, 279-259.

Kerry wins IA and wins by a higher margin in WI. Bush wins OH with less than 50%.

^^^^^^^
This

Agreed.

[Miles]

Hindsight shows Edwards brought zero to the ticket.  Vilsack would have brought Iowa but probably nothing else.  Someone like Richardson would have been best - a minority who could have helped win some Western states.  Richardson would have been able to go head-to-head with Cheney on experience and also would have put New Mexico in the D column and put Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada in play.

I agree. Edwards didn't even win NC for Kerry.

Richardson would have been a good choice; back then, he was still very popular too. Kerry definitely would have had NM and Richardson could have put him over the top in CO and NV. Kerry lost by 11 in AZ, but it would have been more competitive.

[Kaine for Senate '18]