DEMOCRATS
SENATOR EVAN BAYH
Will run and will most likely do quite well –he has the potential to do well in the primaries and may even secure the nomination. I can’t help feeling, however, that he’ll probably end up as a potential VP nominee

SENATOR JOE BIDEN
Essentially yesterday’s man. Biden’s big chance of winning the nomination was during the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries –in the aftermath of his excellent work as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in vetoing some of Reagan’s key judicial appointments and when his profile was at its highest –and he blew his bid big time. He hasn’t had a high profile since Republicans took control of Congress and he doesn’t really have that much appeal to the core constituencies of the Democratic Party. I expect him be like Gephardt –his candidacy will fizzle out early in the campaign season

SENATOR BARBARA BOXER
Won’t run. I’ve read that she was actually intending to retire from the Senate in 2004 but reconsidered and ran for another term. I think she’d actually do much better than many people expect if she did run but I’m pretty sure she won’t

EX-SEN BILL BRADLEY
Won’t run unfortunately

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK
Most likely will run and definitely has a chance of winning. I think his chances of securing the nomination depend on (1) whether he runs a better campaign than he did in 2004 and (2) the national security situation we are in during the immediate prelude to and during the course of the election year. If the quagmire in Iraq continues and/or * gets us into a mess with Iran/North Korea/Syria/whoever else he can antagonize, I definitely see Clark as having a very serious chance of gaining the nomination. I also see him as a possible Sec of Defence in a future Democratic Administration if he doesn’t win.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON
Will probably run and has a good chance of winning. I think her prospects may depend on whether the early momentum for her campaign and her status as the frontrunner hurts or hinders her during the primary season and whether she can build up a viable candidacy.

CONGRESSMAN RANDY CROW
Whoever he is, I don’t see him having much of a chance of winning unless it’s a Jimmy Carter sort of year where an unknown emerges in front

CONGRESSMAN LLOYD DOGETT
See Randy Crow

SENATOR DICK DURBIN
Won’t run and will probably be overshadowed by speculation surrounding Obama

SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS
Will run and will definitely win a few primaries. I think he has a good chance of winning the nomination

SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD
Dark horse. I think he’ll do very well in the primaries and has a very outside chance of securing the nomination –particularly if McCain is doing well in the Republican primaries

AL GORE
I don’t think he’ll run but, should he decide to do so, I see him having a very real chance of winning the nomination

SENATOR MIKE GRAVEL
(See Randy Crow)

SENATOR JOHN KERRY
Will most likely run but I don’t think he’ll get the nomination. His big chance was in ‘04’ –when he actually had the nomination –and I think that he’ll be unlikely to gain as much support as he did then. Having said that, I do think he’ll perform well in some of the primaries

DENNIS KUCINICH
May run but will only do as well as he did in ‘04’

SEN MARY LANDRIEU
Won’t run. Even picking her as VP would be problematic because of her senate race –although perhaps we can get Mitch Landrieu to replace her in the Senate

SEN BLANCHE LINCOLN
Won’t run. An outside chance for VP

JANET NAPOLITANO
Won’t run. A very possible VP choice though

SEN BARACK OBAMA
Possible VP pick but won’t run

GOV BILL RICHARDSON
Will run but I actually don’t think he’s in serious contention for the nomination –controversy seems to engulf him wherever he goes. I see him as a future Secretary of State though

GOV KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
Won’t run but may be a potential VP candidate. Perhaps the Democrats should field her as Brownback’s senate replacement in 2010

GOV BRIAN SCHWEITZER
Won’t run and even a VP pick would be problematic because it coincides with re-election year in Montana. I think his chances are much more likely in 2012 if the Democrats lose in 2008 (and I’m desperately hoping they won’t)

REV AL SHARPTON
May be under pressure to defer to Hillary. Even if he does run, he won’t come anywhere close to what Jesse Jackson did

GOV TOM VILSACK
May very well decide to run and may win in Iowa but I don’t see him gaining the nomination

GOV MARK WARNER
Will most probably run and I see him as the most likely to gain the nomination.

Republicans
SEN GEORGE ALLEN
In with a serious chance for the nomination unfortunately. I think he’ll almost certainly run

GOV BARBOUR
Not inconceivable that he will run. Dark horse but I don’t think he’ll come close to gaining the nomination. Possible VP pick

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
A former Democrat who has a somewhat liberal reputation and is Mayor of one of the most liberal cities in America? Forget it. Won’t run and, if he did, he’d have no chance of gaining the nomination

SEN SAM BROWNBACK
Will run and won’t do well

GOV JEB BUSH
Probably won’t run but too early to tell. I think he’d be crazy to run immediately after his brother was President and particularly since his brother hasn’t been a particularly good President (and I don’t see this changing over the next two years). Possible VP pick but my guess is that * will have become even more of an embarrassment than he is now and the new Republican nominee won’t want to be tied too extensively to the * legacy

NORM COLEMAN
Hopefully he’ll face too competitive a senate race to run but I think he wants to run for the White House and he’s such an expedient opportunist that I think he’ll probably do quite well.

ELIZABETH DOLE
May run but I doubt she’ll win.

SEN BILL FRIST
Will run and will engage in enough dirty tricks to be considered as a serious contender for the nomination.

NEWT GINGRICH
Will run but his ego exceeds his popularity. Besides he’s like Biden –his day has long gone.

RUDY GULIANI
Will run. Has the potential to do well but won’t win the nomination

CHUCK HAGEL
Will possibly run. Will not do well in the Republican primaries but may do better if he runs as an Independent. Possible VP pick if McCain wins

MIKE HUCKABEE
Will run and has a good chance of being either presidential or VP nominee

JOHN MCCAIN
Will run and will be a serious contender for the nomination. But despite all his slavish devotion to * over the last six years, I get the impression that it won’t pay off and that the White House will be working behind the scenes to undermine his candidacy

GOV GEORGE PATAKI
Will run and may do well in isolated primaries in the Northeast but nowhere else

TIM PAWLENTY
More likely a VP choice


GOV BILL OWEN
Will probably run but I think his momentum is fading. Nevertheless he still has a shot of winning the nomination

CONDOLEEZA RICE
Probably *’s choice but I don’t see her winning the nomination even with White House support. There are too many Trent Lott types in the White House

MITT ROMNEY
I’ll spare you my personal opinion of this guy but I think he may actually do much better than expected among moderate GOP voters. I don’t expect him to win the nomination but I do consider him a potential VP

TOM TANCREDO
Will do well here and there on his anti-immigration platform but has no hope of winning either the presidential or VP nomination

My top 5 most likely for the Democratic nomination are:
1. Mark Warner
2. Evan Bayh
3. John Edwards
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Al Gore (if he runs)

Republicans are:
1. George Allen
2. Bill Frist
3. Mike Huckabee
4. John McCain
5. Mitt Romney

I see a Warner-Bayh ticket most likely on the Democratic side and perhaps an Allen-Coleman ticket on the Repug side. Or perhaps an Allen-Huckabee ticket or vice versa. Either way