PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS VISIT THE SOUTH

By Valarie Edwards

Although Election Day 2008 is still 1 year, 7 months and 23 days away, the race for the White House is going strong.

And all of the nearly dozen or so contenders are making the south a top priority.

This week, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards makes stops in Atlanta and in his own home state. New York's Senator Hilary Clinton was in South Carolina last week. And, later this month, Illinois Senator Barack Obama makes his own campaign stop here in Atlanta.

The reason for the south's popularity? Well, says Charles Bullock with UGA's Political Science Department, some it may be the allure of money.

“What the candidates are doing right now is they're coming and meeting leaders. In conjunction with their visits, there are fundraising events being held. So they're passing the hat in Georgia.”

Bullock says money raised here in Georgia is headed to campaigning efforts in those early and critical primary states. States like New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina.

If the Georgia legislature gets its way, Georgia could join a handful of other states that’ve moved up their primary dates, giving Georgian’s a bigger say in national politics.