So now that Kerry has the nomination locked up, the race is on to find a VP. Edwards is the obvious choice (maybe even too obvious). Though I think the two would make a great team, in VP speculation thread over at DKos, the Congressman John Lewis of Georgia keeps popping up. After reading the bio on his site, I tend to agree :

John Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940 outside of Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University; and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. He has also been awarded numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout the United States, including Clark Atlanta University, Duke University, Howard University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Fisk University, Morehouse College, Princeton University and Williams College. John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize and the NAACP Spingarn Medal. John Lewis is also the recipient of the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage Award” for lifetime achievement and the National Education Association Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award.

At an early age, John Lewis developed an unwavering commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. For more than forty years, he has been in the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggles in the United States. As a student, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
. . .
Despite his youth, John Lewis became a recognized leader in the Civil Rights Movement. By 1963, he was recognized as one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. (The other Big Six leaders were Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer and Roy Wilkins). Lewis, at the age of 23, was one of the planners and a keynote speaker at the historic “March on Washington” in August 1963.
. . .
Despite more that 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. After leaving SNCC in 1966, he remained active in the Civil Rights Movement through his work as Associate Director of the Field Foundation and his participation in the Southern Regional Council’s voter registration programs. Lewis went on to become the Director of the Voter Education Project (VEP). Under his leadership, the VEP transformed the nation’s political climate by adding nearly four million minorities to the voter rolls.
. . .
Since joining the U.S. Congress, John Lewis has drawn much praise from political observers who have predicted a bright future for him in national politics. In 1990, the National Journal named John Lewis as one of eleven “rising stars in Congress.” The Journal stated, “Few House Members … have had such momentous experiences before coming to Washington that other Members of Congress want to hear about them. John R. Lewis, D-GA., has that cachet and he has made it a plus in his House service.” In 1998, Congressional Quarterly named John Lewis a Liberal Stalwart in its edition “50 ways to do the job of Congress.”

On top of that, he’s got a solid liberal voting record. Check out his ratings from the legislative score cards linked from this post and you’ll see what I mean. (ex. 93% from the ACLU, 100% from the AFL-CIO, & 100% from the Human Rights Campaign)

Now I don’t know anything about Lewis more than I’ve read online. I don’t know anything about his popularity in the south, his speaking style, etc. (I fear that his pacifism could work against him in this post 9/11 election) But the prospect of Kerry sharing the ticket with a Southern civil rights leader sure feels right.