This Just In

Here's a great picture of Edwards with some of the Young Dems and College Dems who attended the event in Macon on April 14th. I just got it today and wanted to share the picture and thank the campaign and the hosts again for open the event to these YD's. They will, no doubt, be doing a large part of the walking, calling, leafleting etc. as the campaign heats up!

Want a Fifty State Strategy? Vote Edwards

Over at MyDD, Peter from WI blogs about Edwards' promise to the Democratic Party of South Carolina. It is the same promise he made when he was here with us in Macon.

"He said that he would, as the nominee, be back to South Carolina to campaign in that state to do two things. First, he would campaign there to win the state, and second, he would campaign there to continue to build the Democratic Party in South Carolina and in the South. That's a bold promise, breaking the mold of our past nominees and something that bodes well for the vitality of our party nationally."

Having a Democratic candidate for President who actually implements a 50 state strategy would be a tremendous advantage, especially for states like Georgia and South Carolina. And, Edwards' promise carries with it credibility. What did he do in the off season? He help state legislative caucuses, including Georgia, raise money. After Kerry won the nomination who came back to Georgia before the election in November? John Edwards. Who is coming to help the Democratic Party of Georgia raise money on May 17th? John Edwards.

Who am I supporting for President? John Edwards.

This is cross-posted at Georgia Women VOTE!

Who Won Tonight's Debate? Vote Now

Opinion Polls & Market Research

New Gallup Poll: Presidential Race Tightens

According to a new Gallup poll, the race for the Democratic nomination for President continues to tighten. Hillary Clinton, who has been the front-runner in early polling continues to draw favorability ratings below 50%, now dropping to 45% of Democrats and those who lean Democratic. Her unfavorables, at 28%, are the highest of the three top candidates: Edwards, Obama and Clinton.

According to Gallup, the majority of Americans do not have a favorable view of Sen. Clinton. This is bad news for her campaign because unlike the other candidate, she has nearly 100% name recognition among poll respondents, while the other candidates are still building name recognition and image. Many have speculated that Clinton's early lead in the polls is fueled by her high name recognition.

Obama's favorability ratings appear to have stabilized, while Sen. Edwards' rating continue to improve. You can read the whole article here.

What Are You Going to Do?

Correct Me If I'm Wrong

There's a nice story in the AJC today about key Georgia endorsements for Sen. Edwards. The short piece goes on to say, "And you’re still wondering why Edwards was picked to speak at the Democrat’s Jefferson-Jackson Day fund-raiser on May 17." I believe that the invitation was actually extended to all of the Democratic candidates.

One of the things that earned Edwards my support is that he has always paid attention to Georgia. In 2004, he was the only Democratic candidate who came to Middle Georgia before the primary, and he was the one who came back to Georgia before the general. This time around, he is the first of the top tier candidates to make his way to the middle of the state, and when he did he promised that come general election time, he would be working hard to win in Georgia. This is one of the reasons he has my support. Edwards at the top of the ticket helps all of our candidates down the ballot.

By the way, have you gotten your tickets for JJ yet? If not, here's the link. This event on May 17th is an important fundraiser for the DPG, and as the AJC reports, Edwards is the keynote speaker. See, he's already helping other Georgia Democrats by participating in a fundraiser for the Party.

This is cross-posted at Georgia Women VOTE!

Sen. Brown, Rep. Porter, Other Democratic Leaders Endorse Edwards

This, just in, is great news for the Edwards Campaign:

PROMINENT GEORGIA LEADERS ENDORSE JOHN EDWARDS FOR PRESIDENT

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - The John Edwards for President campaign announced today that prominent Georgia leaders endorsed Senator John Edwards for President. State Senate Democratic Leader Robert Brown and State House Democratic Leader Dubose Porter, along with former Governor Roy Barnes and Shi Shailendra will lead the campaign's efforts in Georgia.

"I am honored to have the support of so many outstanding Georgia leaders,"said Edwards. "Together, we can change our country and lift up all Americans."

Porter endorsed Edwards saying, "John Edwards shares the same values that I do - family and opportunity for a better life for everyone. He would be a president we could relate to in Georgia, bringing a record of priorities of economic development, the environment, education and health care in ways that would truly make a difference in regular people's day to day lives."

Former Congressman Ed Jenkins endorsed Edwards saying, "John will win in the South and lead our nation in the right direction. We need a strong leaderand John is the right man for the job."

The following Georgia Democrats endorsed Edwards for President:- State Senator Vincent D. Fort (D-39)- State Representative Rob Teilhet, Chief Deputy Whip (D -Smyrna) - State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta)- State Representative Michelle Henson (D - Stone Mountain)- State Representative Gerald Greene (D - Cuthbert)- State Representative Jeannette Jamieson (D - Toccoa)- State Representative Charles Jenkins (D - Blairsville)- State Representative Hugh Floyd (D - Norcross)- Chuck Byrd, Middle Georgia attorney- Amol Naik, Atlanta attorney and former Chief of Staff to Senate Democratic Caucus- Jeff DiSantis, Former Executive Director of the Georgia Democratic Party- Emil Runge, Former Communications Director of the Georgia Democratic Party.

Edwards Will Work to Win in Georgia

Last night in Macon, John Edwards told the crowd that if he were the nominee, he would work to win Georgia in the general election. "You have my word on it," he said.

Let that sink in a bit. How many of you remember that in 2004, after he won the nomination, John Kerry hardly (the accurate word may be never) set foot in the state? For those of us tired of being an export state when it comes to presidential politics, having the candidate actually show up would be a refreshing change. Edwards will come to Georgia and campaign, and, with his appeal to southern voters, there is no doubt that he will help our down-ballot races.

Looks like Edwards just gave Georgians another reason to support him. Below are some photographs from last night's event. More details will follow. (It was a great night, and a large crowd, despite the rain.) View all photos here.

Meet John Edwards in Macon

Brian Adams – Jim Butler – Melanie and Chuck Byrd – Marie and Roy Barnes
Manley Brown – Marsha and John Christy – Lizzie and Chris Clark
Teresa and Mike Cranford – Laurie Anne White and Charles Engelke
Kathy and Waldo Floyd – Mitzi and Jarome Gautreaux – Nick Giles – Carolyn and Hardy Gregory – Duke Groover – Lisa and Wendell Horne – Steve Leeds – Preyesh Maniklal – Debbie and Michael Moore - Amy and Daryl Morton – Bright and William Nolan
Carol and DuBose Porter – Kim and Carl Reynolds – G. Scott Thompson – Joel Wooten*

*List in Formation
Please join us for a reception honoring

John Edwards

Home of Dr. and Mrs. Waldo Floyd III
127 Heritage Court
Macon, Georgia 31210

Saturday, April 14, 2007
6:45 p.m.

Host contribution level: $2300
Guest contribution levels: $1000, $500, $250

For more information or to RSVP,
Please contact Zeke Stokes at 803.479.0439 or email him at mailto:patrick@andersonstokes.com.

Paid for by John Edwards for President.
Contributions to John Edwards for President are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

This is cross-posted at Georgia Women Vote!

Bold, Tranformational Change

Playing it safe is not the plan for the Edwards campaign. Instead, big, bold, transformational change is at the heart of his agenda. He is taking risks, like telling voters that universal healthcare is worth the money it will cost them and again being the first Democrat to tell Fox News that he will not participate in a Presidential debate they sponsor or co-sponsor.

Walter Shapiro writes for Salon:

"Unraveling Edwards' subtext does not require a Derrida-spouting graduate student. Hillary Clinton is the obvious apostle of these "cautious, incremental steps," while Barack Obama is the undeniable master of feel-good rhetoric. What is most intriguing about the Edwards 2.0 campaign is how a once carefully calibrated, pro-war, mainstream Democrat has fashioned himself into the candidate of "big, bold transformational change."

Shapiro goes on to point out that Edwards has staked out the left-flank on domestic issues, especially on universal healthcare and poverty. Despite that, he is holding the support of conservative Democrats and swing voters who were on his team last time, and simultaneously attracting the support of progressive voters. Amazing what telling truth can do.

In short, Edwards has decided not to play it safe and instead to say what he thinks and then carefully, honestly and openly defend his positions, trusting that the truth is something that voters not only can handle, but will find refreshing. How many times in the last year have you heard someone complain that Democrats have complaints but no plans? Edwards is the antidote to that complaint. He set the bar for the Democrats by putting forward the most detailed platform statements of any of the candidates, and he did it early.

My opinion? The first time Edwards ran, he fell victim to consultants who convinced him to play it safe, play it down the middle and get elected. That approach may be safe but it does not embrace the change we need. And it did not get him elected. This time, he will dare to lead.

This is cross-posted at Georgia Women Vote!

Good News for Elizabeth

CNN is reporting that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer is of the type that is more likely to respond to anti-estrogen drugs and that she remains optimistic about her future. Good news! And, by the way, if you have not read the book, I recommend it.

Edwards Ahead in Iowa, Viewed as Most Electable

Daily Kos reports that a recent University of Iowa poll shows Sen. Edwards' lead there widening and that he is viewed by potential Democratic caucus goers as the most electable of all the candidates. 89% of those polled view Edwards as electable.

Impressive numbers!

Edwards Raises More Than 14 Million

CNN is reporting the good news that John Edwards has raised more than $14 million dollars in the first quarter, exceeding the campaign's budget for the year. More than 80% of the contributions were $100 or less, a significant indicator of the depth of his support. Here are some of the significant numbers reported by the campaign:

- More than $14 million raised total

- More than 40,000 contributors from across the country.

- 80 percent of contributions were $100 or less

- $3.3 million raised from online contributions.

- Around $1 million raised in general election funds.

Hillary Clinton declined to say what portion of her first quarter contributions were general election contributions. Such contributions must be placed in escrow and cannot be spent during the primary. If the candidate does not get the Party's nomination, then those contributions are returned to the donors.