Cox and other veep contenders await word from Bush

Alex Coolman

With Texas Gov. George W. Bush reportedly poised to decide on a

running mate this weekend, Republican Party officials say Rep.

Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) is still considered a contender for the

position.

“In party circles, Chris’ name continues to be mentioned both

statewide and nationally,” said Tom Fuentes, chairman of the Republican

Party of Orange County.

Cox is ranked as the favorite candidate in an article posted Friday on

the Web site of the conservative magazine National Review. He also is

listed as a favorite by the Evans-Novak Political Report, an influential

review of the Washington scene.

Front-runners for the No. 2 spot seem to be Sen. John McCain

(R-Arizona), Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, New York Gov. George Pataki and

Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating. Late Friday, news reports named former U.S.

Defense secretary Dick Cheney as the top contender for the job.

But there are some factors that could work in Cox’s favor.

For one thing, McCain has reportedly said he doesn’t want the

vice-presidential job. Though he has said he is willing to serve in the

position if tapped, his feelings about the spot are reportedly colored by

residual bitterness from the primary campaign.

Though Keating is considered a safe choice because he is an

anti-abortion Catholic, Fuentes pointed out that Cox has the same

credentials. Ridge and Pataki are in favor of abortion rights.

Republican wisdom for this election holds that the party needs to

capture substantial segments of the Latino, Roman Catholic and

working-class electorate, Fuentes said.

Though Cox is solid from a religious standpoint, he also is considered

an intellectual, and has been criticized for a lack of clarity in

presenting his political vision.

Fuentes characterized this aspect of Cox’s public persona as a

function of the media’s representation of him.

“This is a world of 30-second sound bites, and Chris is an

intellectual who always gives depth in his answers,” Fuentes said. “If he

was to enter that [vice-presidential] arena, I’m sure the resources of

the party would be there to take some of that quality thought process and

distill it to a media-sensitive style.”

This is not the first time Cox’s name has come up in connection with

prominent positions.

He considered taking a run at the position of House speaker after the

1998 resignation of Newt Gingrich. And he was also considered as a

possible running mate for Bob Dole in the election against Bill Clinton.