Two weeks after New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was the first presidential candidate to visit campus this semester, former Senator John Edwards will be campaigning in the Harris Center this Tuesday.
Edwards, who will be accompanied by prominent musicians and activists Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, is currently in third place in most Iowa polls. Edwards is basing his entire campaign on a strong performance in the Iowa caucuses, and has built a strong organization in the state. Even though Edwards is trailing right now, longtime Poweshiek County Democratic leader Don Smith, History, thinks that Edwards figures to be a major factor on caucus night.
“My belief is that Edwards will be viable about everywhere,” Smith said. “My impression is that John has worked the rural precincts everywhere, and I can’t think of any of the Grinnell wards where he would not be viable.”
In the past several weeks Edwards has been relentlessly criticizing front-running New York Senator Hillary Clinton.
Among other issues, Edwards can be expected to use his visit to Grinnell College to attack Clinton either explicitly or implicitly for her campaign’s planted question with a Grinnell College student at a Newton event two weeks ago (see “Grinnell student sparks media frenzy,” page 1).
