Quotes of the Day
5. LAST-MINUTE CAMPAIGNS
THE WAIT-AND-SEE PRIMARY
Despite the rash of new candidates announcing their bid this month, some heavyweights are holding out, either for tactical reasons or out of indecision, and could shake things up with a late entry into the race. The biggest could-be contenders are former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gore denies that he plans to run, but his hit film, An Inconvenient Truth, and his strong stands on climate change and the war in Iraq have rehabilitated him with Democratic activists.
Gingrich has energized some on the right with his calls for a conservative revival in the Republican Party. If Mitt Romney's attempt to woo the party base fails, Gingrich, who's already polling in third place, could capitalize. Some dream of a run by George W. Bush's brother, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, although the President's low approval ratings and the lack of progress in Iraq could dim their prospects. But with 21 months before the election for the announced candidates to pummel one another, voters may tire of the whole bunch, leaving the door open for a fresh bid by a familiar face.
- Massimo Calabresi