Edwards Takes Final Steps Toward Expected Run for President

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Current News - Homefront Preparations : One Thread

By Will Lester Associated Press Writer Published: Dec 31, 2002

advertisement WASHINGTON (AP) - North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is putting the finishing touches on a widely expected run for president, meeting with close friends on New Year's Day followed by a series of interviews and fund-raising events later this week, associates said Tuesday.

The associates said the Democratic senator has been scheduling events they expect will lead to his announcement, but cautioned that as of Tuesday afternoon he hadn't given them the final word on his plans.

Edwards has been expected to announce his intentions by year's end, and those close to him did nothing Tuesday to dampen speculation that he would run.

"The senator has said for a long time now that he would make up his mind by the end of the year or early next year," spokesman Mike Briggs said, adding "we're about at that point."

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is already running for the Democratic nomination and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has formed an exploratory committee, and will make a final announcement of his plans. The field could grow to more than a half-dozen in the coming days and weeks with Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt likely to announce his intentions soon.

Edwards, 49, is entertaining close friends and supporters at his home in Raleigh, N.C., on New Year's Day, and is scheduling a series of interviews Thursday, according to the associates, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

He plans to hold fund raisers starting Saturday, first in Raleigh and then in cities around the country, they said.

Edwards, a first-term senator, has been busy throughout the last year meeting Democratic activists, raising money and visiting early states in the presidential selection process. He also would be up for Senate re-election in 2004, a factor that had to be weighed in making his decision on the presidential race.

As a Southerner among the half-dozen potential candidates looking at the race during the last year, Edwards has gotten a lot of attention. The trial lawyer was an early hit with Democratic activists who saw his potential as a telegenic, well-spoken politician with a hint of a Southern drawl who could connect with voters.

The last three Democratic presidents, Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Jimmy Carter of Georgia and Bill Clinton of Arkansas, have been from the South. The ability to win some Southern states to go with the Democrats' base of strength in the Northeast and West coast is seen as a key to victory with both parties battling for states in the industrial Midwest.

Edwards' profile among Democrats was raised in 2000 when he was one of the finalists to be Al Gore's running mate - a job that ultimately went to Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, another likely candidate.

Edwards has made a good, early impression on party activists during his travels around the country. While others may have a longer resume in legislative or military experience, the North Carolinian is credited with possessing a natural ability to connect with people.

While courting party activists in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Edwards has also been giving policy speeches that lay out his positions on education, the economy and domestic security among others.

He has suggested proposals that would encourage more people to get their college education in times when the costs are growing and he proposed a long list of improvements to homeland security, which he said is not being pursued aggressively enough.

He said these goals could be reached by reining in spending in areas of government not related to homeland defense, providing a short-term economic stimulus, tougher enforcement of tax laws and putting off tax cuts for those who make more than $200,000 a year.

The senator grew up the son of a textile mill employee, born in South Carolina but spending his teenage years in Robbins, N.C., and working in the mills on breaks during college. He became a successful trial lawyer in Raleigh, successfully arguing personal injury cases against big companies.

Edwards' courtroom success - he was named one of the nation's best eight lawyers in 1996 by one journal - helped him amass a fortune of more than $14 million, which he used to help win his seat in the Senate.

Edwards said running for the U.S. Senate was a natural choice for a first campaign, since his idea of the office meshes with his professional life.

"I have this notion, romantic I know, about what a senator is," he said. "When I think about what a U.S. senator ought to be, I think about a fiery advocate, someone who works passionately for his constituents. That's what I've done for my life's work, so it seems only natural to me to try for the Senate."

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2003


Moderation questions? read the FAQ