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Kerry Taps Edwards for Running Mate By Dan Balz and Jim VandeHei Tuesday, July 6, 2004; 12:45 PM Sen. John F. Kerry said Tuesday that he has selected Sen. John Edwards
of North Carolina as his vice presidential running mate. Edwards said later that he was "thrilled" to accept the selection,
and he hailed the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee
as "a man of strength, character and courage." Kerry informed Edwards of the decision in a 20-minute telephone call
Tuesday morning, shortly before making the public announcement at a rally
in Pittsburgh. The news also was announced to Kerry supporters through
an e-mail. The two families will dine together Tuesday evening and will
campaign together Wednesday. Edwards is "a champion for middle class Americans, and for those
struggling to reach the middle class," Kerry told cheering supporters
in Pittsburgh. "Throughout this campaign, John talked about the great divide in
America, the two Americas that exist between those who are doing very
well and those who are struggling to make ends meet in our country,"
Kerry told the crowd. "That concern is at the center of this campaign. It is what it is
all about," Kerry said. "It is what the 35 years of my struggle
have been about. And I am so proud that together John Edwards and I are
now going to fight to build one America for all Americans." Kerry and Edwards will team up against President Bush and Vice President
Cheney in an election that already is one of the most intensive and negative
in recent memory. Polls show Kerry and Bush running roughly even at this
stage. Bush told reporters Tuesday morning that he and Cheney welcome the selection
of Edwards. At a photo opportunity in the White House after a meeting
with the visiting prime minister of Iceland, Bush said, "I look forward
to a good, spirited contest." Asked whether he agreed with the Republican National Committee's characterization
of Edwards as "disingenuous, inexperienced and unaccomplished,"
Bush did not answer directly, but said, "I welcome Senator Edwards
on the ticket." He said Cheney called Edwards this morning "to
say that he welcomes him to the race, and as do I." In a statement released by the Kerry campaign, Edwards said, "I
was honored this morning to receive a call from Senator Kerry asking me
to join his ticket. I was humbled by his offer -- and thrilled to accept
it." Edwards said of Kerry, "He is a man of strength, character and courage.
He has a vision for our country that will make life better for all Americans
-- those in the middle class who struggle every day to make ends meet,
and the millions of Americans fighting to enter the middle class." Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, the Democratic front-runner entering
this year's primaries, called Edwards "a smart choice for John Kerry's
running mate." He said in a statement, "A Kerry-Edwards ticket
will bring energy, commitment and a new vision for America. I will be
working hard over the next few months to get them both elected." Edwards, 51, a wealthy former trial lawyer and first-term senator, was
the last candidate standing against Kerry in the battle for the Democratic
nomination earlier this year after igniting his candidacy with a surprise
second-place finish to the Massachusetts senator in the Iowa caucuses. His lone victory in the primaries came in South Carolina, the state where
he was born, but he made a lasting impression on many Democrats with his
powerful message decrying the "two Americas," divided between
the wealthy and the rest of the population, prompting some in the party
to compare his campaign skills with those of former president Bill Clinton. Democratic strategists said Edwards would add energy and excitement to
the Democratic campaign, bring southern regional appeal to a ticket headed
by a Bostonian and help Kerry woo suburban and swing voters in battleground
states in the Midwest and elsewhere. Edwards lacks extensive foreign policy experience at a time when national
security is one of the central issues in the presidential campaign, and
his years as a trial lawyer drew criticism from the White House and other
Republicans during the Democratic primaries. Even before the choice was announced, the Bush-Cheney campaign sought
to diminish the choice. Spokeswoman Nicolle Devenish said in an early
morning e-mail that Kerry's selection would be the candidate's second
choice, a reference to the fact that Kerry initially sought to recruit
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is supporting Bush for reelection.
The Bush campaign announced it would begin airing a new television ad
featuring McCain's support of Bush. Kerry and Edwards agree on many major issues in the campaign. Both supported
the congressional resolution authorizing President Bush to go to war in
Iraq and both voted against last year's $87 billion appropriation for
Iraq and Afghanistan. Both support rolling back Bush's tax cuts aimed
at the wealthiest Americans but support other tax cuts for middle-class
Americans. Despite those agreements, some Democrats questioned whether Kerry would
choose Edwards because of reports during the primaries that the Massachusetts
senator felt Edwards did not have all the qualifications needed to be
president. Friends of both men said over the past few days that their
relationship was stronger than generally suggested. Whatever qualms Kerry
may have had, they said, Edwards' performance in the primaries had helped
erase them. Kerry's early morning e-mail Tuesday said: "In just a few minutes,
I will announce that Senator John Edwards will join me as my running mate
on the Democratic ticket as a candidate for vice president of the United
States. Teresa and I could not be more excited that John and Elizabeth
Edwards will be our partners in our journey to make America stronger at
home and respected in the world." Kerry's decision came after one of the most secretive vice presidential
searches in recent history. Headed by Washington businessman and Democratic
Party veteran James Johnson, the effort reflected Kerry's determination
to shield the contenders from too much public exposure and possible embarrassment
if they were not chosen. Campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill was also one
of the few Kerry advisers directly involved. Throughout the process, the Kerry campaign offered no information on
who was under consideration and while some of Kerry's meetings with those
on his short list became public, others never did. Among those who were
also believed to be in the running were Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.),
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and Sen. Bob Graham (Fla.). As late as Tuesday morning at the Kerry rally, placards were visible
that said Kerry-Edwards on one side and Kerry-Graham on another. According to information provided by Kerry's campaign, the candidate
began with a list of about 25 people and after conducting some background
research on each, eventually winnowed down the list to his final choice.
More than 300 people were consulted along the way. Kerry informed his staff of his choice Monday at about 10:30 p.m. Kerry set out five criteria for Johnson and Cahill to look for in a potential
running mate, according to the campaign. They included someone with a
distinguished record of leadership, someone committed to Kerry's core
agenda, someone with the ability to campaign in all parts of the country,
someone compatible with Kerry "on every level" and someone immediately
ready to assume the presidency at any moment. As the search got underway, there was a consensus among Kerry advisers
to make an early selection to help raise money and fend off attacks from
Bush's campaign. Over time, as polls continued to show the race close
and as money poured into the campaign, the view shifted to waiting until
a time closer to the Democratic National Convention, which begins on July
26. Kerry was a finalist four years ago (as was Edwards) when then vice president
Al Gore was theDemocratic nominee and was bruised by the sense of public
rejection. In keeping with his desire to do it differently, Kerry called
the other finalists personally to tell them of his choice. Edwards was born in South Carolina in 1953 and spent most of his childhood
in the small town of Robbins, N.C., where his father worked as a supervisor
in a textile mill. He graduated from North Carolina State University in
1974 and the University of North Carolina law school in 1977. Over the next 20 years, the boyishly handsome Edwards became a successful
and wealthy trial lawyer, amassing a small fortune from the judgments
won on behalf of his clients. One of his most celebrated cases involved
a 5-year-old girl who was badly injured when she was caught in a swimming
pool drain, a case in which the jury returned a $25 million verdict in
1997. The following year Edwards jumped into politics, despite having had little
involvement in political activity up to that point. He challenged incumbent
Republican senator Lauch Faircloth, a conservative ally of the state's
best-known politician at the time, Sen. Jesse Helms (R). Despite his inexperience in politics, Edwards proved to be an attractive
and skillful candidate in that race, winning by 51 percent to 47 percent
in a state that was growing more and more difficult for Democrats. Edwards has a relatively thin legislative record in the Senate but gained
a reputation as a quick study, a tough questioner in hearings and an effective
spokesman for the party's positions in floor debates. He serves on the
Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
the Small Business Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee. With McCain and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), he played a central
role in the Senate passage of legislation giving patients the right to
sue their Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). The bill never became
law after the House passed a competing version that has not been reconciled. During the presidential campaign, Edwards announced that he would not
seek a second term in the Senate. Edwards is married to Elizabeth Edwards, whom he met in law school, and
the couple has had four children. Catharine, their oldest, is a recent
graduate of Princeton University. One son, Wade, died in an automobile
accident in 1996. After his death, the couple had two more children, Emma
Claire, 6, and Jack, 4. VandeHei reported from Pittsburgh. © 2004 The Washington Post Company
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