Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist Of Tennessee stunned a number of people yesterday when he announced that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. "In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now, this season of being an elected official has come to a close. I do not intend to run for president in 2008," Frist said. The biggest development to watch for, I believe, is where those Frist votes are going to go. I am certain that Frist had more votes than most internet straw polls have said.
Just look at the SRLC straw poll this past March. The question is, will those votes go to a more middle-of-the-road character, such as John McCain; or will they go conservative, more to a Tom Tancredo or Mike Huckabee sort of guy? Could they even go to the left, more to a Rudy Giuliani or a George Pataki figure? Something to watch as we get ready for '08.
On the Democratic side, outgoing Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack made his ambitions official in his small town of Mount Pleasant, Iowa today. In his speech, he said he hopes to make the U.S. a "beacon of hope" to all the world. I think he has an OK shot at the nomination of his party, but I don't give him a serious shot. At this time, I see three people as the real front-runners: former candidates John Edwards and Wes Clark, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.
Also, former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore has said this month that he is interested in possibly running for the Republican nomination in '08. He said he could run for U.S. Senate if John Warner retires or for Virginia Governor again in 2009. He is another potential candidate to watch who I understand is a strong conservative.
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