Super Tuesday Shows Need for Southern Conservative on Ticket

With John McCain as the predicted GOP front-runner, people are beginning to speculate on his running mate. Pundits agree that if McCain secures the nomination, he will need a strong conservative in the Deep South. Draft Haley Barbour for Vice President, an Atlanta-based committee, has launched an online petition to engage conservative Americans in a push for the GOP nominee to select Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi, as his running mate.

"Governor Barbour has the mass appeal needed to help the GOP nominee carry not only the south but the traditional conservative base," said Joshua W. Jones, chairman of the Draft Haley for Vice President committee. "He doesn't risk polarizing the constituency like other candidates being discussed by the political pundits."

Yesterday, exit polls revealed that voters in both parties favor economy as the most important issue facing the country, an idea that has been reinforced by a turbulent day on Wall Street and in stock markets worldwide.

"Governor Haley Barbour is a proven economic leader," Jones said. "In spite of the nation's largest national disaster, he has pulled Mississippi out of a $720 million budget deficit to a $246 million surplus, decreased Medicaid rolls to less than 600,000 and created more than 38,000 jobs -- all without raising taxes."

When Hurricane Katrina struck, Governor Barbour took the lead early on and worked with local, state and national leadership to tap into many resources of assistance for victims of the hurricane. For his leadership, Barbour was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award, which is presented by the bipartisan American Legislative Exchange Council to a nationally recognized leader who has an extraordinary record of successfully advancing Jefferson's principles.

"For more than a decade, Governor Barbour has fought to defend conservative values, to maintain freedom and to honor faith," Jones said. "As true conservatives, we want to make our voices heard by drafting Haley Barbour as America's next vice president."

The committee has produced its first TV spot highlighting Barbour's qualifications, which they expect to air later this month.

To sign the petition in support, view the TV spot or learn more about the Draft Haley movement, visit DraftHaley.com

CONTACT:
Joshua W. Jones
Draft Haley Barbour for Vice President
(678) 207-6723 (mobile)