Kerry running-mate speculation abounds

WASHINGTON – In a rare detour from his presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry secluded himself Wednesday in his U.S. Capitol “hideaway” office with Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, offering a fleeting glimpse of his highly secretive running-mate selection process.

Also on Wednesday, the Kerry campaign announced that it has raised $100 million since March, more than $25 million of it in May.

Kerry ignited speculation that he was approaching a decision on his choice for a running mate by taking a brief break from campaigning to be in Washington at the same time as two other potential partners, retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

At the Capitol, the Massachusetts Democrat skipped at least one vote on the Senate floor. He ensconced himself in his Capitol office with Capitol police blocking access to the halls that led to it.

It’s unclear how long Gephardt stayed with Kerry. He was seen entering slightly before 4 p.m. He recorded a vote on the House floor around 6 p.m. Among his strengths are his extensive support from organized labor, his popularity in his home state of Missouri – expected to be a key swing state in November – and his depth of experience as a veteran congressional leader. Working against him, however, is a reputation as a bland personality whose time is past.

Kerry must pick a running mate before he’s nominated at the Democratic national convention in late July, and is widely expected to announce his choice weeks before then to build momentum. He’s kept his deliberations private and has placed the vetting system in the hands of respected Washington power broker James Johnson.

Several Democrats mentioned as likely running mates have been actively campaigning on Kerry’s behalf. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, for example, is scheduled to headline a $1.5 million fund-raiser in Dallas next week. Edwards wasn’t in Washington on Wednesday.

Kerry is raising money aggressively, about $1 million a day. On Wednesday he attended a breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. By the time he walked out, his campaign was $650,000 richer. On Tuesday, he raised more than $500,000 in Cincinnati.

He still hasn’t matched President Bush’s record-setting campaign treasury. But as Bush concentrates on raising money for other Republicans, Kerry is still aggressively seeking donors, and out-raised the president for the second month in a row.

The $100 million raised since March far exceeds the $80 million the campaign said it hoped to raise by the start of the Democratic National Convention at the end of July.