2008 Presidential Campaign Blog

Dawson announces First-in-the-South Presidential Primary Date in New Hampshire

Dawson announces First-in-the-South Presidential Primary Date in New Hampshire

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson today announced the First-in-the-South Republican Party Presidential Primary will be held in South Carolina on Saturday, January 19, 2008. In the Executive Council Chambers of the New Hampshire State House in Concord, Dawson hand delivered a letter to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, notifying him of the primary date.

“The stakes couldn't be higher in this election,” said Dawson. “I am proud to be here in New Hampshire to announce our primary date and to solidify a combined 83-year history of our two states being First-In-The-Nation and First-In-The-South – this election cycle and for years to come.”

The South Carolina Republican Party’s First-In-The-South Presidential Primary has grown in significance over time. Since 1980, no candidate has won the Republican nomination for president without winning South Carolina’s Republican primary. Republicans running for president in 2008 know South Carolina Republicans pick presidents and have already begun to focus on the state’s voters more than ever.

“In our two states, presidential politics is about much more than 30-second television ads and clever sound bytes,” said Dawson. “New Hampshire and South Carolina voters are lucky enough to meet the candidates face-to-face and actually get to know the next President of the United States. All the candidates campaign hard across our two states because they know they must come shake our hands and look us square in the eye if they want our votes.”

FEC Introduces Online Map to Track Presidential Campaign Contributions

FEC Introduces Online Map to Track Presidential Campaign Contributions

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) now has a new, interactive map on its web site (http://www.fec.gov) that displays individual contributions to the 2008 Presidential candidates. With a simple click of the mouse, a user can highlight on the map the amount of money raised on a state-by-state basis.  Users also have the option of viewing contributions to specific candidates, all candidates or all candidates from a political party.  The map conveniently displays the total contributions to each candidate, along with their cash on hand and the distribution of their contributions by amount.

Users may select to view contributions in specific states.  The map lists contributors by name, city, amounts of donations and dates within the first three digits of their zip code. These lists can be sorted and downloaded to a spreadsheet format.

The map represents another step by the FEC to share campaign finance information with the public.  The FEC map will be updated within one day of the agency’s receipt of electronically-filed Presidential disclosure reports.  The next Presidential campaign finance reports must be filed by July 15.   Commenting on this new online search capability, FEC Chairman Robert Lenhard said: “This new online tool underscores our commitment to the public to disclose campaign finance information in a timely and easily understood manner.”

George Will References The 4President.org Website In His Latest Column

What Voters Want: Competence

By George F. Will
Sunday, June 3, 2007; Page B07

"Accepting the 1988 Democratic nomination, Gov. Michael Dukakis, a carrier of Massachusetts's political culture, allowed his fervent hope to be the father of his surmise when he said, "This election is not about ideology. It's about competence."

Tommy Thompson To Officially Enter The Race For President

Thompson planning campaign kick-off
March 19, 2007 Alexander Mooney

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson has decided to officially enter the race for the GOP presidential nomination, and has tentatively picked Wednesday, April 4, to make an official announcement, according to a campaign aide.

CNN Political Ticker

Hotline's List Of Previous White House Contenders Switching To Senate Races

March 08, 2007
Overlooked: A New First?
From today's Hotline:

With the recent talk of various WH '08 contenders switching to SEN races, it's interesting to note that such a mid-cycle switch has never been attempted, at least in recent memory (not counting incumbent sens.) Of course, several failed WH candidates made it to the Senate in later, different cycles (e.g. Elizabeth Dole, Lamar Alexander, Terry Sanford).

2008 Campaign Off To A Fast Start

Rush of Entries Gives ’08 Race Early Intensity
By JOHN M. BRODER and PATRICK HEALY
Published: January 22, 2007
The contest for the White House is off to a breathtakingly fast start, exposing an ever-growing field to longer, more intensive scrutiny.

"While presidential campaigns have been getting gradually longer over the past few decades, the acceleration in the 2008 cycle is particularly pronounced. The first President Bush announced his candidacy for the 1988 Republican nomination in October 1987; the eventual Democratic nominee in that election, Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts, had declared six months earlier.

Bill Clinton formally announced his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination on Oct. 3, 1991, about three and a half months before the Iowa caucuses. George W. Bush announced his exploratory committee for the 2000 presidential race in March 1999 and began his campaign in June 1999."

NY Times Story

Road To Denver Could Be A Long One

Welcome To (The) O vs. C
By Chuck Todd, NationalJournal.com
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007

"...But while most of the hard evidence suggests Democrats will know their presumptive nominee at the same time the Republicans secure theirs, there is a more plausible scenario for Democrats that will look a lot like it did for the party in '84. Remember, in '84, former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart and former Vice President Walter Mondale battled into June. But if Hart had had the resources early enough in the process to make the primary a fairer fight, he probably would have won.

In Clinton and Obama, the Democrats have two potentially larger-than-life figures -- something the Democrats haven't had arguably since '68 (then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey and then-New York Sen. Robert Kennedy) or '80 (then-President Jimmy Carter and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy).

Having two front-runners this early who are already heavyweights suggests that the road to the convention in Denver could be a long one..."

Candidates Use The Internet To Reach Voters

Candidates turn to Web to reach voters
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer

Al Gore claimed he invented it. John McCain predicted it would revolutionize political campaigning. Howard Dean made it pay — and then some.

Ah, the Internet.

As candidates prepare for the 2008 presidential campaign, the Internet is the new Main Street. An estimated 70 percent of adults in the United States travel the digital highway, still a cheap and largely unregulated medium...

Yahoo News AP Story

Nevada's Caucus Will Be Modeled On Iowa In 2008

December 24, 2006
All eyes on Nevada

Democrats face big challenge as they prepare for caucus
By J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak, Las Vegas Sun

"Now comes the hard part.

Nevada Democrats are ecstatic that they've landed an early spot in 2008's presidential selection calendar, but now they face an unforgiving reality.

With the national media watching, Democrats must put on a caucus that draws candidates and lots of voters while being free of flaws...

Nevada's caucus will be modeled on Iowa, long an influential player in determining presidential nominees and which in 2008 will come a few days before Nevada..."

Las Vegas Sun Article

A Second Run At The White House For 2008 Hopefuls

Second Runs

In the last 7 WH races, at least one of the major parties has nominated someone who was making at least their 2nd run.

For now, at least 3 candidates are embarking on 2nd runs in '08: McCain, Edwards and Biden (with Gore a possible 4th)...

Hotline Article