Why not Ridge?

John McCain is coming down the stretch in his search for a vice-presidential running mate and most reports over the last few weeks say he wants former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, but won’t pick him.  Why?  Short answer is because Ridge is not pro-life. 

I decided to reach out to a prominent Pennsylvania Republican operative who has worked for many conservatives and he agreed to talk to me on background via AOL Instant Messenger. 

Here are his basic conclusions of our conversations.  The theory is Tom Ridge is not pro-life so he will not be acceptable to conservatives on a McCain ticket.  The Keystone State is probably one of the most pro-life states in the country and Tom Ridge was elected and re-elected as a very popular Governor for the state.  Ridge over the course of his administration won over many of the conservatives in the state with his non-abortion related positions.

What should conservatives be most concerned about?  Not a Barack Obama presidency, but a Barack Obama presidency with an overwhelming majority in the House and a close to veto-proof majority in the Senate.  He concluded when it comes time for conservatives to pull the trigger in November they will think about this and will have a hard time voting against McCain when they know the House and Senate are more than likely going further Democratic. 

What will be most important is not how to elect John McCain, but what do the Republicans do to defeat Barack Obama.  When you look at the names being mentioned most, Ridge is the obvious choice for conservatives.  Does Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty deliver Minnesota for McCain?  Does Charlie Christ make a difference in Florida?  Does Bobby Jindal make a difference in Louisiana?  All are very likely to make no difference in their states as McCain will win them anyways or in the case of Minnesota very likely lose it even with Pawlenty on the ticket. 

The only other candidate my source had in mind that could help as much as Ridge was Mitt Romney who could help with Michigan.  But when I ran these theories by another consultant who is close to the McCain campaign he pointed out Ridge would be a much better fit than Romney because McCain is at his best when he is comfortable and can be himself.  And it is no secret McCain is a lot closer to Ridge than Romney.

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