By Andy Matthews

Now that John Kerry has wrapped up the Democratic nomination for president, it's time to start thinking seriously about who his running mate might be. Many names have been thrown around, but the nominee will almost certainly come from this list of 12 candidates.

John Edwards (Senator, North Carolina): Edwards seems to have been elevated to favorite status in the veepstakes. He'd be a strong running mate, no doubt, and his nice-guy approach to the primary battle means there isn't much strain on his relationship with Kerry. And yes, he's a Southerner, though that may not matter. Does anyone really think he can pull in any Dixie states for a Massachusetts liberal? Still, I wouldn't bet against him getting the nod.

Bill Richardson (Governor, New Mexico): Richardson would keep his competitive home state in the Democratic column, though it's unlikely he'd pick up any states in that region that Al Gore didn't win in 2000. He's got two strong selling points: He's experienced and he's Hispanic. The GOP will try hard to make inroads in the Hispanic community this year, and a Kerry-Richardson ticket could make that more difficult.

Richard Gephardt (U.S. Rep., Missouri): Gephardt might be the sleeper favorite. He's the ultimate safe pick, and he could make Missouri, which Bush won in 2000, competitive (and he might help in Ohio, too). He's a boring choice, but he's well respected among Democrats and non-Democrats alike.

Evan Bayh (Senator, Indiana): Bayh would be Kerry's best choice. If Edwards would complement Kerry nicely because of his youth and the ideological balance he'd bring, then so would Bayh, except even more so (he's younger and more of a centrist than Edwards). And while Edwards would be unlikely to pull any Southern states away from Bush, Bayh might be able to help out in the Midwest. Bush will still win Indiana, but what about Ohio? The only question is this: Is Bayh too moderate (some would call him a conservative) to enthusiastically support a Kerry candidacy? I know this is politics, but something about the way Bayh has defended Bush on the Iraq war makes it hard to imagine him being an attack dog for Kerry.

Ed Rendell (Governor, Pennsylvania): Rendell is a tough one to rate. Bush would love to take Pennsylvania this time around, and a Kerry-Rendell ticket likely would thwart that effort. There's really no reason not to pick Rendell, as he's a hard guy to dislike. But is he likely to help Democrats get fired up? Rendell is probably a safe pick in the same way Gephardt is, so he can't be dismissed.

Bob Graham (Senator, Florida): Graham only makes sense if Democrats want to go all-out for Florida, and rumor has it that Kerry might just concede the Sunshine State to Bush altogether. Plus, Graham was awful during his brief run for the presidency. And he seems more than a little bit nutty.

Dianne Feinstein (Senator, California): If Kerry picks her, it means he's worried he might lose California, which means he's in trouble (if Bush wins California, he wins the election easily). Yes, a Kerry-Feinstein ticket would keep California in the Democratic column, but a ticket with two liberals won't do well anywhere else except the Northeast.

Wesley Clark (Retired General): He was so bad during his presidential bid that it's likely he could only damage Kerry. He's a Southerner, but the social views he expressed during his campaign ruined any chance he would have had of helping Democrats in the South. Kerry should stay away.

Bill Nelson (Senator, Florida): If Democrats want to play hard for Florida but are a little spooked by Bob Graham's ... I'll be nice and say quirkiness ... then the state's other senator might make sense. He's not well known nationally, but that also means he doesn't come with much baggage.

Hillary Clinton (Senator, New York): A lot of people think this makes sense (Dick Morris, for example), but I disagree. Though no one is more popular among Democrats, no one is more despised among Republicans. The people who like her are already in Kerry's corner, and she'd turn off a lot of moderates while sending Republicans to the polls in droves to vote against her.

Sam Nunn (Former Senator, Georgia): He might have some appeal to Kerry as a Southern moderate, but again, Bush is likely to sweep the Southern states regardless. And Nunn is getting up there in age.

Tom Vilsack (Governor, Iowa): Possible, but not likely. If Kerry wants to look to the Midwest for a running mate, either Gephardt or Bayh would make more sense.

If it turns out to be someone else, then, well, we experienced a technical error that prevented part of this story from making it to the site.

Andy Matthews is the editor of rightturnonly.com.