Kansas Democratic Party Vice Chair?Teresa Krusor of Winfield believes Sen. Joe Biden or Sen. Hillary Clinton has been picked by Sen. Barack Obama as his running mate.
"Biden has always, all along, been his first pick. He has always liked Biden. He has always thought he was good in foreign policy. He has always said ‘I think a? lot of him’," Krusor said.
On the other hand, Obama feels the former first lady is very qualified for the job.
"I think he would feel very comfortable with her as the vice president," Krusor said. "I think he respects her knowledge and judgment. I think he has a very high opinion of her.? And, also, because she has a lot of supporters. I think he’s going to need her support to win the general election."
Krusor, one of nine un-pledged super delegates to the Democratic National Convention next week in Denver, was preparing for the trip Friday. She and her husband, Mark, a Winfield attorney, were planning to drive to Denver Saturday and arrive in time for Krusor’s first meeting Saturday evening.
Obama plans to appear with his pick for vice president on Saturday.
"I’m real anxious to hear," Krusor said. "They are very tight-lipped about it?- people at the highest levels don’t know. "I’m just as anxious as everyone is to see who it will be."
This is Krusor’s fourth national convention. She said there is a lot of excitement over the presidential nomination this time, plus it is also a historical event.
"Every one is different. But this one is unique in it’s own way. It’s the first time we’ve ever seriously had an African-American for our presidential nominee and a woman that’s been taken very seriously," she said. "So, gosh, I am just thrilled to be a part of that."
Krusor has traveled across the country helping the Democratic party. She has been amazed at the number of people who showed up for the rallies, and at the number of young people taking an interest in the presidential election process for the first time.
Clinton, she says, still has a lot of supporters who may not vote for Obama if he doesn’t pick Clinton as his vice president. In fact, one day she had so many e-mails supporting Clinton that her computer crashed.
"They are just true Hillary supporters, only. There are a lot of people concerned about getting Hillary elected. And if she’s not their candidate, then they may not vote for anyone. They just won’t vote," Krusor said.
Obama is well aware of the support Clinton still has within the party. There was a time when Krusor would have said she would be surprised if Obama picked Clinton. Now, she will be surprised if he doesn’t pick her.
Clinton is Krusor’s personal choice for vice president. She publicly endorsed her and has campaigned for her. She has talked with both Clinton and the former president.
"I’ve had conference calls with her since she dropped out of the race. In fact, I just had one with her a couple of days a go. She’s in it to go on and get Sen. Barack Obama elected, and she will do whatever needs to be done."
Clinton also encouraged Krusor to work as hard for Obama as she did for her.
"I really think – when it’s all said and done – I truly believe that Barack Obama will be out next president," Krusor said.
