You think John Kerry's edgy about the Internet? Think again. The all-but-nominated Democratic presidential contender picked North Carolina Sen. John Edwards July 6 to be his running mate – and he announced it by e-mail.
The Kerry campaign had hinted well enough in the fortnight before that Kerry was liable to decide his running mate and let it be known by way of cyberspace, where he's already made himself a fundraising presence to be reckoned with.
Kerry wanted to keep his choice so close to the vest that he compelled vendors producing campaign T-shirts and other paraphernalia to sign non-disclosure agreements until he was ready to make it official, according to several reports published within hours of the official announcement.
But it didn't stop a number of news outlets on and offline from breaking the story before Kerry made it official. The Wall Street Journal had the e-mail on its Website, including Kerry's praise for Edwards as showing "courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class."
Kerry reportedly e-mailed his decision before announcing Edwards publicly at a Pittsburgh rally. Edwards himself did not travel to Pittsburgh for the rally, according to Reuters, in order not to tip off the media before Kerry was ready to make it known. Kerry even waited until late July 5 before instructing the company from whom he charters his campaign plane to change the aircraft's decal to read "Kerry-Edwards: A Stronger America," the news wire said.
The news was well enough received by Democrats around the country. Pacific Northwest media said Democrats in that region were generally pleased with the Edwards selection, while Kentucky Democrats suggested the choice put Kentucky into play as a possible battleground state, according to the Cincinnati Post.
Republicans reportedly saw the Edwards choice as giving the Democrats, as U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati) said, a ticket "so liberal that I think it's even going to give some local Democrats and independents concern."
