Gov. Bill Ritter has not been approached as a potential running mate for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, and the prospect is not something the first-term Democrat considers, a spokesman said.
In an op-ed column in Friday’s Washington Post, Michael Gerson suggested Ritter as a possible vice presidential pick, noting that Ritter’s Catholic background pursuing social justice would serve the Obama campaign well.
The governor’s spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said Ritter had not been approached by Obama or party officials about a running-mate slot.
“Gov. Ritter has not been asked, and it’s not anything he thinks about,” Dreyer said. “Bill Ritter loves being governor of Colorado because it’s the best job in America.”
Gerson is a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank. He was a speechwriter for former President George H.W. Bush.
Gerson and Ritter were passengers on a July boat trip sponsored by the Aspen Institute to view the effects of climate change in the Norwegian arctic.
Other travelers included former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Sen. Tom Daschle and chief executives Chad Holliday of DuPont USA and Hugh Grant of Monsanto Co.
“Many national Democrats consider Ritter a cipher, with little reputation outside Colorado,” Gerson wrote in his op-ed piece. “But Ritter’s story of personal struggle, (missionary) service in Zambia and environmental leadership would appeal broadly.”
And it would be a “revolutionary” decision to pick Ritter, an anti-abortion Democrat, that could actually help the party, Gerson said.
Gerson referred to Ritter and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia as “two popular red-state Democratic governors.”
While Ritter’s favorability ratings remain high, a recent poll showed his job approval ratings had slipped 13 points since May to 41 percent of Coloradans saying he is doing a good or excellent job.
