Picking Palin: Loop Fans' Fearless Prognostications

Surprised by John McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate? Thought Barack Obama might pick Hillary? Well, Loop Fans called both choices. Yes, we're proud to announce the winners of the In the Loop "Pick the Veep" contests.

While almost all the distinguished members of the political punditocracy -- people who do these things for a living -- were stunned by McCain's selection of Palin, the highly vetted grandma-in-waiting, two of the nearly 600 entries for McCain were right on the money. And remember, this contest was conducted in mid-February.

The first winning entrant was Nina Freeman, a computer specialist who works for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing here. Freeman said she was "Googling some possible choices" and picked Palin. "It struck me" at the time "as a long shot," she said.

Eugenia Sidereas, a Foreign Service officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, e-mailed her winning entry 20 minutes later on Feb. 15. It was "almost completely a lucky guess," she said by phone Monday. "I thought McCain would have to go with a woman to have a legitimate shot" at winning, and Palin was "known as an up-and-comer" in Republican circles.

Obama's pick of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) was hardly a shocker. A review yesterday of the first few hundred returns in that contest -- launched Feb. 22, after Obama effectively won the nomination -- showed the losing candidates, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former senator John Edwards (N.C.), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), and Biden sharing a substantial percentage of the entries.

The first 10 entrants to pick Biden were:

James J. Tenant, a retired Navy lieutenant commander in Centennial, Colo.

Michael Copeland, a Democratic campaign consultant in Missoula, Mont.

Jed Ela, a law student in Los Angeles.

David Carttar, a geographer in Lawrence, Kan., who works for a California-based company that advises other firms about risks from natural and man-made catastrophes.

Barry Geisler, general manager of the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax.

Marc Kutylowski, a student at Kent State University.