The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Vote08 had three questions for Tennessee 3rd district Congressman Zach Wamp today:

1. Which Republican candidate wins Florida today?

2. Are you prepared to endorse any of the Republican candidates yet?

3. Which GOP candidate will win the Tennessee primary next Tuesday?

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Question 1: Who wins Florida?

Wamp tells Vote08 that picking the winner in Florida would be like Storm Track 9 Chief Meteorologist David Glenn picking the exact temperature 8 days from now. “It could go 2-3 points either way,” said Wamp.

“If John McCain wins, it wouldn’t be a surprise, & it would set up Super Tuesday as a must-win for Mitt Romney. If Romney wins, it completely changes the complexion of February 5th.” Wamp went on to say expectations are leaning towards a McCain victory, but it’s still a very strong 2-way race. Wamp noted Romney has more money & a better ground game in Florida.
“A major issue with Florida candidates is what happens after the ballots are counted. The departure of Huckabee or Giuliani could change the map. Rudy supporters will likely go to McCain, and if Huckabee drops out I see his supporters going to Romney. This is a very interesting race for our side this year.”

VOTE08: Are you rooting for a Hillary Clinton nomination?

“There’s no question that Senator Clinton motivates Republican voters to participate more than Obama would. But if he’s the nominee, I do think Senator Obama’s experience or lack thereof becomes a major factor. You really don’t know until this plays itself out. There could be a twist or turn in the road on world stage, like the Bhutto assassination in Pakistan. If that’s the case, and it’s, say, McCain running against Obama, that could prove a disadvantage for the Illinois senator.”

Wamp then added, “there’s no doubt this is the most interesting campaign of our lifetime.” [Amen. -Vote08]

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Question 2: Endorsements.

Recall Wamp was an early & ardent supporter of Fred Thompson, who dropped out a week ago tomorrow. Wamp says he’s following Thompson’s lead in not endorsing a candidate until voters choose the nominee. He says he hopes that the eventual nominee will think about Thompson as a running mate, saying he looks & sounds presidential/vice-presidential.

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Question 3: Who wins Tennessee for the GOP?

“My instincts at this point is the 3 candidates, McCain, Romney & Huckabee will split up the Republican vote pretty evenly. But Thompson is still on the ballot, and he may get a large share of the votes.” Wamp noted that he has cast his vote early, and pulled the lever for Thompson. He also predicts that each party will have their nomination wrapped up after the Super Tuesday results come in.

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