MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR EDWARDS CAMPAIGN IN KEY EARLY STATES
On heels of commanding debate performance, Edwards campaign launches ad buys in New Hampshire and Iowa, secures union endorsements and expands grassroots organizing efforts
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, the John Edwards for President campaign launched his new “Heroes” ad in New Hampshire. In the ad, Edwards reaffirms his commitment to honoring and fighting for America’s true heroes – the working men and women of our country. The ad features footage of Edwards speaking at a campaign event, interspersed with images of hardworking Americans. A similar version of the ad went on the air in Iowa last Thursday.
“If you're looking for heroes, don’t look to me,” Edwards says in the ad. “Don’t look to Elizabeth. We have support. We have health care. We have the American people behind us. Look to them. They are the ones who we speak for. They are the ones that we stand up for. …It is time for our party, the Democratic Party, to show a little backbone, to have a little guts. To stand up for working men and women. If we are not their voice, they will never have a voice.”
The ad builds on the momentum from Edwards’ commanding debate performance last Tuesday in Philadelphia. Edwards proved himself to be the most effective and articulate challenger to Senator Clinton in the debate, pointing out her double-talk on ending the war in Iraq, going to war with Iran, releasing her records from her years in the White House to the public, and Social Security.
Edwards’ powerful performance at the debate added to the momentum already building for the campaign in the key early states and across the nation. Last week, Edwards won the endorsement of the New Hampshire Service Employees International Union. In October, the Iowa state council of the SEIU endorsed Edwards, along with 10 other state councils across the country, totaling more than 1.03 million rank-and-file SEIU members. These critical endorsements will allow SEIU members from any state that endorsed Edwards to travel to New Hampshire and Iowa to volunteer for the campaign. Edwards has also won key endorsements from the United Steelworkers, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in America, the Iowa Postal Workers Union, the Transport Workers Union of America, and the United Mine Workers of America.
Momentum on the ground in key early states has continued to build as the campaign expands grassroots outreach efforts. Last week, Edwards became the first – and only – Democratic candidate to have visited and taken questions from Iowans in all 99 counties and the campaign is focused on building a strong organization across the state. Edwards is also the only candidate with county chairs for all 99 Iowa counties as well as rural county chairs for all 99 counties.
In New Hampshire over the weekend, Edwards’ campaign manager Congressman David Bonior opened two new field offices - one in Rochester and one in Conway – bringing the total to 12 offices statewide.
During his 16th campaign trip to his native state of South Carolina last weekend, Edwards picked up 10 new endorsements from key elected and local leaders. The campaign has built organizations in all 46 South Carolina counties and has plans to open a second campaign office in the Palmetto State.
And yesterday, the campaign announced it was adding three new senior staff to Nevada to expand the field team. This builds on last month’s announcement that the campaign would be enhancing its Nevada organization with the addition of about two dozen field organizers and opening new Nevada offices.
