For Obama, the choice of a running mate has the potential to help or hurt his effort to win over women who supported Clinton. When he met last week with female political activists in Washington, one participant drew applause when she suggested that Obama tap Clinton as his running mate.
Some Clinton backers, however, seem resigned to her not being chosen. Vote Both, a group established earlier this year to pressure Obama to put Clinton on his ticket, shut down its effort last week.
Gandy, of the National Organization for Women, said that Obama will take a great political risk if he does not name a woman, such as Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona or Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, to energize female voters. Furthermore, Gandy has told Obama advisors of her dismay that his short list reportedly includes so many men with mixed records on abortion.
Although they support the constitutional right to abortion, Biden, Bayh and Kaine all supported a ban on "partial-birth" abortions. "My fear is that there would be a lot of women, and any number is too many, who would say, 'I think I will stay home' " on election day, said Gandy.
Gay rights advocates worry about reports that Obama was considering asking former senator Nunn to be his running mate. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Nunn resisted efforts to allow gays to serve in the military, and he voted against a bill to ban job discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
"It would be . . . a real problem if he were to pick Sam Nunn," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group. "The choice of a running mate for anyone running for president says a great deal about their decision-making and about their values."
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janet.hook@latimes.com
