POLITICS 88 : CAMPAIGN ’88 : Wright Praises Jackson
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House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.) said Friday that Jackson deserves consideration for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket this year if he comes to the party’s convention with a strong second-place finish.
Wright, who will chair the convention, said he wanted to remain neutral in the contest among the three remaining Democratic contenders for the nomination. But when asked if Jackson might become the vice presidential nominee, Wright told reporters: “If Jesse Jackson should go to the convention as a very prominent second-place contender, obviously he earns and deserves consideration.”
Praising Jackson for raising drug and job issues in a forceful way, Wright added: “If our party were seen as engaging in a stop-Jackson movement or finagling to deny him consideration, we would be scorned.”
Discussing the New York primary, Wright said a victory by Dukakis of 5 percentage points would not be decisive but a 20-percentage point difference would be.
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