Now that Edwards is out of the race, we have 277 days for mono a mono campaigning between Senator Kerry and President Bush. Sometime yesterday evening, President Bush called Senator Kerry. Bush told Kerry that he is looking forward to a "spirited campaign." Bush was also quoted as saying, "I'm thinking about you." I'm not sure what the intent or the tone of this conversation was, but I believe that this phone conversation occurred prior to Kerry's slightly vitriolic victory speech on Tuesday night.
Kerry has had one of the most successful two-month periods that any politician could hope for. He has escaped from the primary season with barely scratch inflicted by his fellow Democrats. In addition, Kerry has been able to build substantial leads over Bush in several polls. But before anyone gets too carried away here, let's keep two things in mind. First, Kerry has spent the last two months campaigning against Bush, but Bush has not yet begun his own campaign. Secondly, a surge for the out-of-power candidate is not uncommon at this stage in the game. In 1984, Walter Mondale saw similar leads in the polls at this time of year. Reagan went on to win 49 out of 50 states in the general election.
