Gov. Tom Vilsack is among the top considerations for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, according to an Associated Press poll conducted earlier this month.

Vilsack was ranked as the fourth-highest candidate for running mate. Other prominent Democrats on the list included Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

The governor’s office is not commenting on the poll, said Ben Gran, public affairs specialist for Vilsack.

“Any kind of comment about [the possible nomination] is going to have to come from Kerry’s campaign,” Gran said.

One of the reasons Vilsack is so prominent in national politics is because he is the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, which represents 22 states, said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science. Another reason, Schmidt said, is because of Iowa’s important role in politics.

Since Iowa is a swing state, it is important for the Kerry campaign to keep a focus on the state, he said. According to federal election information, Al Gore won Iowa by less than 1 percent of the vote in the 2000 election. Vilsack’s nomination would help secure votes in Iowa and other Midwestern states, he said.

“Having Vilsack on there would get a lot of attention,” Schmidt said. “Because of the tightness of the election, the Midwest could throw the election one way or another.”

One problem, however, is that Vilsack isn’t very well known outside of Iowa, said Robert Lowry, associate professor of political science.

Recently, Vilsack spoke at the Wisconsin Democratic Convention, where many people had never heard of him.

“It’s hard to see that he’s going to add much,” Lowry said.

Schmidt said the fact that Vilsack isn’t widely known could benefit the Kerry campaign, since there is no preset public idea of him.

“I’m thinking that’s a positive, a plus,” he said. “Being unknown could be a good thing.”

Previously, a presidential candidate would pick a running mate that would balance the ticket geographically, Lowry said.

Now, many candidates pick running mates they are comfortable with. Vilsack fits the mold of what has been recommended to Kerry as a running mate, Schmidt said.

It also helps that Iowa’s First Lady, Christie Vilsack, endorsed the Kerry campaign before the Iowa caucuses, Lowry said.

“Being an early supporter of someone, especially when they’re down, is a good way to get payback later,” he said.

Both men agreed that it is important for Kerry not to pick someone that would overshadow him.

Front-runner John Edwards would work well for Kerry since he’s known as a positive, dynamic speaker, Schmidt said.

Vilsack is not known as a very dynamic speaker, which could cause problems for Kerry, who’s known as not being all-to-dynamic, as well.

“It’s not exactly like a beauty contest, but it’s kind of like that,” Schmidt said.

According to a recent CBS poll, a Kerry-Edwards ticket would have 14 percent advantage over the Bush-Cheney ticket among registered voters, 53 percent to 39 percent.

Besides having a varied combination, the Kerry-Edwards ticket would have a traditional geographical variation many presidential pairings shared in the past.

Kerry is from the Northeast, and Edwards is from the South, similar to past campaigns, such as the Gore-Lieberman ticket in 2000 and the Kennedy-Johnson ticket in 1960.

If Vilsack gets the nomination, he wouldn’t immediately have to resign as governor, since there isn’t a session going on right now, Schmidt said.

Some have pushed for him to resign since it would be harder to run as a candidate and continue as governor, he said.

“If I were Vilsack, my intentions would be 1,000 percent,” Schmidt said.