John Edwards: Does he stand a chance?

Democrat John Edwards is in the race for president. Poll ratings show Edward up amongst the top three Democratic contenders, with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. However, the fight to the finish is not likely to be easy for Edwards. Clinton, at least as of now, seems to be leading with a good majority at 45 %, according to pollingreport.com. Obama is next at 27%, with Edwards following at the third position with only on 15%.

Edwards has the necessary credentials for a candidate running for president. His record as a politician is good. He is a fine speaker and commands the ability to impress his audience. He is intelligent and able to hold his ground during debates. Besides he is young and handsome, a fact that will definitely serve him in good stead, especially when it comes to the women voters.

On the other hand, it is a known fact that voters do not always vote for the candidate who they think is most fit to hold office; they often vote for a candidate they support, who they think has a reasonable chance of winning. This way they ensure that their vote is used profitably. Would his low position deter voters from voting for Edwards? It is possible.

However, Edwards faces another hurdle in his bid to become president. Edwards served only one term in the US senate, and did not seek to be re-elected when he stood for vice president as a Democratic nominee in the year 2004. Candidates who have lost in the vice presidential elections have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to presidential nominations.

There are examples that substantiate this. Amongst Democrats, Edmund Muskie in 1972, and Sargent Shriver in 1976, both lost the vice presidential elections and failed to get presidential nomination. From the Republicans, Bob Dole was rejected twice for presidential nomination, in1980 and 1988, after losing as a vice presidential candidate, though he was ultimately nominated in 1996.