2008: Four Governors rule out run

Four governors in the south, west, and midwest have announced that they will not be candidates for president.

The Democratic governors' national prospects have spiked from 2004, when no sitting Democratic governors were in the hunt for the White House. Besides Richardson and Vilsack, several others might be considered for the vice presidency because of their proven appeal in GOP-leaning states.

"The framework is in place, I think, to elect a Democratic president," said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who is taking over leadership of the governors' group in 2007. She noted that 54 percent of people in the U.S. will live in states with a Democratic governor next year.

Sebelius and Govs. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee all have been discussed as potential presidential candidates because they have won where other Democrats could not. All four said Wednesday that they were not going to run for president in 2008, but none ruled out a bid down the road.

Bredesen did say he "would love to be considered" if there were a movement for a Southern governor like him, but he is doing nothing to prepare or promote himself.[...]

Bredesen agreed that victories in gubernatorial races do not necessarily translate into national politics. He cautioned against reading too much into the 2006 Democratic victories across the country.

"The one concern I see for my party is that I think it was more of an anti-Bush election than the Democrats having something," he said. "I think people are still suspicious of Democrats governing."

Still, he said Democrats can win in the South if they offer candidates who are "centrist and not overly ideological," noting that he ran as a proud Democrat and won every county in Tennessee.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen hits it right on the money.