Veepstakes: Ridge And Campbell Head The List

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 19) -- The top candidates to be Robert Dole's running mate are Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and former South Carolina governor Carroll Campbell, GOP sources have revealed, although other names will be considered.

Ridge has confirmed meeting with Dole, and sources said Campbell met with the Kansan as well last week. Dole expects to announce his decision shortly before the Republicans' Aug. 12 convention in San Diego.

The crucial difference between the two men may be on abortion; Ridge is pro-choice, while Campbell is pro-life with strong ties to religious conservatives. Choosing Campbell could diffuse a revolt by conservative pundit Pat Buchanan and his followers, who have made a pro-life veep a virtual litmus test. But some Republican analysts say choosing Carroll would show weakness, since a Republican should be able to carry the increasingly conservative South on his own.

Who Is Carroll Campbell? Former South Carolina governor Campbell, 55, is a fiscal and cultural conservative who focused on business development and education reform during his two terms. Pivotal in George Bush's defeat of Dole in the 1988 primaries, Campbell was an early supporter of Dole this time. He was instrumental in engineering Dole's huge South Carolina win on March 2, and helped transform the Kansan into the clear GOP front runner after some early primary stumbles.

Since leaving the statehouse in 1995, Campbell has headed the American Council of Life Insurance. He briefly considered a presidential run himself, but ultimately decided the fund-raising hurdle was too high.

Veepstakes: Ridge And Campbell Head The List

Related Stories: