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.