Brian Schweitzer, Brad Henry, Dave Freudanthal, Mark Sanford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I am also leaning towards including Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, but I don't know enough about him (beyond what I have read in Wiki, much of which is to my liking) to make an informed decision about him. Does anyone from that state or from the Deep South provide more info on him regarding his governing style, and how his state has benefited (or not) from his leadership?
I'm from Tennessee, but I've lived in Alabama for college for two years now. In 2002, Riley beat Don Siegleman in the narrowest of margins in Alabama history. He's been an okay governor...not outstanding. His style is similar to any mainstream conservative Republican, and given how blood red alabama is, he won re-election in a landslide. He accomplished lowering unemployment form 5.3% to 3.3%. The property tax hike was a big issue in 2006 though. I couldn't find the stats, but I remember his doing reasonably well among blacks, unlike Barbour.
What does Riley bring to the ticket? Alabama? With him, the GOP will definitely win. Without him, the GOP will definitely win. He's the Republican version of Chris Dodd
