If Vilsack Runs, He'll Play In Iowa
One of Hotline editor Chuck Todd's theories, dashed:
Earlier this week, we had a chance to spend some quality time with outgoing Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and he was as open about his potential presidential ambitions as he's ever been. It was more of a get-to-know-him affair, not a quiz show. He's got a disarming quality that's going to make him a dark-horse press favorite. He may not have the Mark Warner buzz, but he's got the competence "meat" the Democrats like to brag about. His big complication, potentially, is his home state. How does he survive the ridiculous expectations that will accompany him during the Iowa caucuses? We've had this idea that it might actually be better for him to "skip" Iowa, claiming he's doing so in the best interest of the state party (so other presidential contenders don't skip it) and instead focus on New Hampshire.Well, when we floated the idea by him, he and his wife, the very likeable and very savvy Christie Vilsack, questioned our sanity. Gov. Vilsack pointed out that if he's going to run for president, he's going to need Iowa in a general, so why not start organizing early? But most importantly, he believed the other contenders would not skip Iowa even if he were running because some have had organizations there for some time. He's also mindful that the voters in Iowa have never considered him for president and that he'd be starting from scratch. Bottom line: Any thought anyone had that he might try and avoid the potential pitfalls Iowa could present an otherwise intriguing candidate, is mistaken.