Omaha World - Herald, Nebraska
02-24-07
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
HEADLINE: Vilsack's exit might aid Iowa caucuses
BYLINE: Elizabeth Ahlin, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
Feb. 24--The departure of former Gov. Tom Vilsack from the Democratic
presidential campaign will likely reinvigorate the Iowa caucuses -- drawing more
candidates to the state, and more often.
"This is going to break it wide open," said Gordon Fischer, former chairman of
the Iowa Democratic Party. "I think, frankly, that anything can happen."
Vilsack's abrupt exit from the race may not register nationally. He had 1 percent
support in recent national polls of the crowded Democratic field.
But it paves the way for other candidates hoping to capture his supporters in
Iowa, the first test of the 2008 campaign.
"I'm sure that Vilsack will be courted by all the current Democratic
candidates to throw his support their way," said Dianne Bystrom, director
of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State
University.
Vilsack on Friday ended his brief bid for the White House, citing problems raising
enough cash to wage a national campaign.
"It is money, and only money, that is the reason we are leaving today," Vilsack
said.
He said he wouldn't immediately throw his support to another candidate.
Though he was the home-grown candidate, Vilsack was struggling in Iowa. A
recent survey of likely Democratic caucus-goers showed only 1 in 7 supporting
their former governor for president. He trailed former Sen. John Edwards, Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in that poll.
Those who did support Vilsack hadn't "been struck by the star quality of Obama
and Clinton. They were sticking with the Iowa candidate," Bystrom said.
Clinton, Obama and other candidates will step up their visits to Iowa, Bystrom
said, trying to win the support of Vilsack loyalists.
"It's a sad day for Tom Vilsack, but it's a good day for the state of Iowa in terms
of enhancing the caucus process," said Rob Tully, former Iowa Democratic Party
chairman and co-chairman of Edwards' state campaign.
Vilsack, 55, will have a strong position of influence as the remaining candidates
try to win his supporters, said Tully.
Vilsack declined to speculate on whether he would accept the vice presidential
nomination if offered. "That's about the furthest thing from my mind today."
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who had endorsed Vilsack, did not comment on whether
he would support another candidate.
Harkin has backed Vilsack "since day one" and he has not considered an
alternative, Harkin spokesman Tom Reynolds said.
During his 31/2-month campaign, Vilsack often said that he's not a "rock star" but
is "rock solid."
Still, rock-star money is needed to compete, and he lacked that fundraising
prowess.
Vilsack insisted he could have won Iowa's first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses.
But he said he couldn't raise sufficient money necessary to compete elsewhere.
Clinton and Obama have attracted thousands of people to their Iowa
appearances. Vilsack couldn't draw the same kind of attention.
"It's the Catch-22. If you can't get traction in terms of picking up support, you
can't sustain your fundraising, but if you can't sustain your fundraising, you can't
get traction," said Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political scientist.
Vilsack raised more than $1.1 million toward the end of 2006, ending the year
with $396,000 cash on hand.
The official details of Obama and Clinton fundraising won't be available until midApril, when reports are due with the Federal Election Commission.
But Clinton's reputation as a fundraising powerhouse is well-documented. She
raised almost $40 million for her Senate re-election campaign last year. Obama,
just this week, raised $1.3 million at a private fundraiser in Beverly Hills.
Federal Election Commissioner Michael Toner has predicted that the 2008
presidential election will be the most expensive in American history. Candidates
will need to have raised $100 million by the end of 2007 to be competitive, he
has said.
Vilsack criticized big-money campaigns, saying candidates need to look more
seriously at public financing as an option.
"Good ideas, great effort, lots of hard work was just simply not enough. It is
ultimately about money," Vilsack said.
Vilsack's decision appeared to come suddenly, one day after he took part in a
candidates' forum in Carson City, Nev., and announced campaign appearances
for next week in New Hampshire.
But Vilsack said he had been looking at his financial shortcomings for several
weeks, finally deciding to end the campaign, in part, to give staffers the
opportunity to get on board with better-funded candidates.
As Iowa governor, Vilsack had a reputation as a centrist. He balanced the budget
while putting more money toward health care, education and economic
development.
As a presidential contender, he sought to position himself as an anti-war
candidate, challenging front-runners on their positions over Iraq.
"It is a war that needs to end now, not six months from now," he said.
Vilsack tried to capitalize on his position as an underdog, referring to his humble
beginnings in a Catholic orphanage in Pittsburgh. He has spoken proudly of his
record of coming from behind to win races, including his first governor campaign
in 1998.
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