Many experts believe that it is a certainty that John Edwards will run for President again in 2008. Those experts cite Edwards keeping his political action committee, the One America Committee, open and also the fact that Edwards has given many speeches in such key states as Iowa, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin as reason to believe he will be running for President in 2008. Many people view Edwards as one of if not the main contender to go up against early favorite Hillary Clinton, thanks especially to his change of position on the Iraq War. It is believed that Edwards may face Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, former running mate John Kerry, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, and possibly others for the Democratic Party nomination.

In a Democratic nominee poll conducted by Cook Political Report/RT Strategies between Feb 23-26, 2006, Edwards finishes second with 16%, leading John Kerry (14%), but trailing Hillary Clinton (44%).

An April 2006 Pew poll had 64% of Americans with an opinion have a favorable view of Edwards, the highest of any Democrat they asked about.

Edward’s 2004 campaign chair, Fred Baron has “set aside his law practice” to devote preparing for a possilbe Edwards’ 2008 campaign if Edwards runs.

One of the key issues in the 2008 race will be health care. In particular, the rising cost of health insurance will be extensively debated. Edwards, like many other Democrats, has said that the main reason health care is unaffordable for many Americans is because there are hundreds of different health insurance companies and HMOs, each with different (and often contradictory) rules, operating with little or no governmental oversight. Republicans, on the other hand, tend to blame the problem on trial lawyers who allegedly drive up the cost of doctors’ malpractice insurance by pursuing ‘frivolous lawsuits’. Before he entered politics, Edwards was a trial lawyer who won some very large malpractice claims. His professional background was a matter of some controversy during his 2004 Presidential and Vice Presidential campaigns.

On May 21, 2006, during an exclusive interview in This Week with George Stephanopoulos he said that he is thinking seriously about running in 2008.

On June 11, 2006, a poll conducted by Des Moines Register among Iowans showed that he is leading the Iowa caucus by 30% and he is followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton by 26% and Sen. John Kerry by 12%. The poll also showed among Democrats, Edwards had a 83-11 percent favorable rating, Clinton with a 71-28 percent rating and Kerry with a 69-26 percent favorable rating.

[From Wikipedia]

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