A Brand New Race for 2nd Place

THE VICE-PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES: A quadrennial long-distance obstacle course for ambitious politicians with a touch of masochism. Purse: $65,600 annual salary; partially furnished mansion on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.; presidency of the U.S. Senate; substantial perquisites. Qualifications: 35-year-olds and above; a natural-born citizen; proven endurance at giving and listening to speeches; ability to respond to the whip and obey sometimes demeaning commands. Limitations: Track may be shifted, entry fees forfeited, and a new field named pending outcome of big stakes races in New Hampshire, Florida, Wisconsin and California in early 1976. Postpositions, names of entries and early-line odds:

1. DONALD RUMSFELD, 43, Defense Secretary-designate; 4-1.

Poised, efficient White House chief of staff and one of the shrewdest bureaucrats in the capital ... Is comfortable with all factions of the G.O.P. and can continue to count on fullest support, confidence and trust from President Ford ... Could be unenthusiastic about running here, since a good performance at Defense might give him a better post position for a later presidential race--something he plainly wants to enter some day.

2. HOWARD BAKER, 50, Senator from Tennessee; 5-1.

Marked as a comer during Watergate hearings but has done little since ... A good compromise bet to woo the South and appease the liberals, and popular through the Middle West besides ... Sturdy, vigorous, everybody's second choice ... Biggest drawback: his nomination could cost the G.O.P. a precious Senate seat.

3. ELLIOT RICHARDSON, 55, Commerce Secretary-designate; 5-1.

An Eastern liberal who makes conservative bet tors uneasy, but clearly a thoroughbred ... Fast on any track, and he has been on many, with four Cabinet posts in the past five years ... As Mr. Clean (or mostly clean) in Watergate, could offset some resentment of Ford's pardon of Nixon ... Commerce spot poor training for the Veep Sweeps, but Ford could give him added responsibilities ... Known to balk at the whip and for being aloof.

4. GEORGE BUSH, 51, CIA Chief-designate; 8-1.

Performed imaginatively on slippery turf in Peking, now primed for domestic tracks ... A favorite of Ford, who may have done him a disservice by slotting him into supposedly nonpartisan CIA post ... Is likely to come under constant crossfire from Congress ... His best-foot-forward performance as G.O.P. national chairman during Watergate period endeared him to party regulars, but his ill-disguised political ambition may repel even more irregulars.

5. RONALD REAGAN, 64, former California governor; 10-1.

Could enter a different race altogether ... The favorite of conservative handicappers, who view him as a dream No. 2 entry on a '76 ticket. Others see such a ticket as potentially dangerous, certain to push some liberal Republicans onto a Democratic track ... Age a handicap.

6. WILLIAM BROCK, 44, Senator from Tennessee; 12-1.

Personable and articulate but not popular with G.O.P. liberals ... Has laid careful party groundwork as former president of the Young Republicans (many members are now party regulars) and G.O.P. Senate campaign committee chairman during 1974 elections.

7. JOHN CONNALLY, 58, former Texas Governor; 15-1.

Former Democrat capable of adroit maneuvers in a crowded field ... Was fully vindicated in a milk-fund bribery trial earlier this year ... Admired by many Republicans for his fiscal savvy but seen by others as a maverick ... Though his career seemed over a few months ago, he can now claim his acquittal makes him one of the few provably honest men in politics ... Refuses the whip, would be hard to contain in a No. 2 spot ... Old legs but great vigor still.

8. CHARLES MATHIAS, 53, Senator from Maryland; 25-1.

Could bring in liberal Republican money and votes but, as a recent public critic of Ford's move to the right, seems an unlikely choice ... Might even announce his own candidacy for the presidential sweeps in order to bring Ford around ... Highly respected by his Senate peers but would be anathema to the G.O.P. right.

9. CHARLES PERCY, 56, Illinois Senator; 25-1.

Once a contender for the presidency, would balance the ticket but may be too liberal to win G.O.P. right-wing support ... One of the Senate's most visible ... Clean-cut, forthright, but has trouble on muddy tracks, and this one could be very muddy.

10. ROBERT RAY, 47, Governor of Iowa; 30-1.

An outsider to the Washington track (which could amount to a plus) and virtually unknown nationally, but could be good dark-horse bet ... A fiscal conservative but acceptable to both wings of the party. Impressive record as three-term Governor of Iowa.

11. DANIEL EVANS, 50, Governor of Washington; 30-1.

Three-term Governor in a Democratic state, he is a Western-style liberal, which somehow is more tolerable to G.O.P. right than an Eastern liberal ... Has a reputation for being a problem solver ... Well-liked by G.O.P. grass roots since keynoting 1968 party convention ... Needs more national exposure, and neither his regional nor his ideological ticket balancing may be enough to make him an attractive bet.

12. EDWARD BROOKE, 56, Senator from Massachusetts; 50-1.

Biggest question is whether G.O.P. would be bold enough to enter a black in the race at all... Widely respected as an able legislator and a staunch party loyalist, he would be the betting favorite of many blacks ... But his presence on the ticket would surely cost many white votes. May be seen as a better bet in a future race.

Also eligible (not in postposition order): Christopher ("Kit") Bond, 36, Governor of Missouri, whose smooth Kennedy style puts off G.O.P. regulars and who could use some seasoning. William Ruckelshaus, 43, lawyer for a chemical group, with a clean Watergate image and solid bureaucratic credentials to back him up. Melvin Laird, 53, senior counselor to Reader's Digest, a Wisconsin conservative who proved him self a shrewd infighter as a Congressman and Secretary of Defense but, much as he likes Ford, probably would refuse if offered the job. James Holshouser, 41, Governor of North Carolina, who is working feverishly as Ford's Southern coordinator but is virtually unknown outside his own region.

SCRATCHED: Nelson Rockefeller, 67, the incumbent Vice President. Believed to be ticketed for retirement but may have one race left in him--and it will not be for the Veep Sweeps.

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