In Hunt for a Running Mate, Ohio Governor Could Please All or None

Already had enough of the presidential contests? Let the vice presidential speculation begin.

Among Democrats, Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio is starting to generate some buzz. Hardly a surprise, since Ohio will be a hugely important swing state in 2008. But check out these other vital statistics about Strickland. He's the son of a steelworker. He's a former Methodist minister. He has cut taxes. As a House member, he earned an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. But he supports abortion rights and universal health care.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll placed Strickland's job approval at 61 percent overall, and at 54 percent among Republicans. He hasn't met with any of the Democratic candidates and has not decided whether to endorse one. But several Democratic campaigns are heavily courting Strickland through back channels, according to Ohio political insiders. A Strickland spokeswoman said the governor maintains "an open-door policy" but isn't yearning for the No. 2 job.

Strickland himself has insisted that he will end his political career as Ohio governor, and he also notes that he's 65 years old -- old enough to be Sen. Barack Obama's father. Yeah, yeah -- whatever. "Strickland's playing his part in the speculation game perfectly. Those who underestimate his political skills do so at their own risk," Brent Larkin, editorial page director of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, wrote two weeks ago.

Here are some other names that have surfaced as possible vice presidential picks, in no particular order.

Republicans: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.); Gov. Sarah Palin (Alaska); Gov. Bob Riley (Ala.); Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Democrats: Former governor Mark R. Warner (Va.); Sen. James Webb (Va.); Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.).

How's it playing in Peoria?

For years, one had only to ask GOP Rep. Ray LaHood, who represented the all-American Illinois town with a blunt authenticity that made him one of the most popular members of Congress with the media.

But LaHood's retirement next year after seven terms, announced Friday, has set Republican strategists on edge.

Ever since losing the House majority in November, House Republican leaders have privately fretted about the possibility of a parade of retirements further driving down their numbers after the 2008 elections.

The thinking goes that, as many long-serving GOP members confront the unhappy reality of minority status and the prospect of it continuing indefinitely, they will decide to walk away. The pending August recess could be a watershed moment of go/no-go decisions, and LaHood's announcement hardly bodes well for which way members are leaning.

The National Republican Congressional Committee moved quickly to shunt any talk that LaHood's seat might be a prime pickup opportunity in 2008. NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) called the 18th District a "Republican stronghold" and predicted it "will remain in the red column" next November.

Cole is probably right. The seat went for President Bush by 16 points in 2004; he won it by 11 four years earlier. But those are similar performance numbers for the seat held by Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), and the national political environment is currently less than favorable for Republicans. And LaHood leaves behind no designated successor.

Democrats started recruiting in LaHood's district months ago, but, so far, no high-profile candidates have surfaced. For now, party officials view the LaHood seat as winnable, but only if the stars align just right. Democrats are targeting three other GOP House seats in Illinois, held by Reps. Mark Steven Kirk, Jerry Weller and former speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who is expected to announce his own retirement plans after August.

Two days: Former senator Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.) is expected to file a disclosure report with the Internal Revenue Service detailing the contributions to and expenditures of his "testing the waters" committee for president. Just how much has he raised? And how big is his staff?

32 days: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will take to late-night television for the first time since declaring her presidential candidacy with an appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman." Don't expect any major gaffes; it will be Clinton's seventh appearance on the program.