Presidential Race News Blog @newzblogz.com

Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. The poll also found they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.

In a snapshot of a group whose energy and idealism have always been as alluring to politicians as its scattered focus and shifting interests have been frustrating, the poll found substantially more Americans between 17 and 29 than four years ago are paying attention to the presidential race. But they appeared to be really familiar with only two of the candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats.

They have continued a long-term drift away from the Republican Party, and although they are just as worried as the general population about the outlook for the country and think their generation is likely to be worse off than that of their parents, they retain a belief that their votes can make a difference, the poll found.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON (AP) Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday announced a new television ad in New Hampshire, part of an effort to improve his standing in the first primary state.

The 30-second spot features Edwards giving a speech on how he would make the United States "the country of the 21st Century" and includes a clip of his wife, Elizabeth, meeting with an elderly voter.

Elizabeth Edwards has been one of the most prominent spouses on the campaign trail. Her fight against breast cancer and her plainspoken appeal have made her a popular draw, especially among women - a competitive voting bloc in a race featuring New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as the first female front-runner in a presidential race.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Conjuring images of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and evoking the mantle of Ronald Reagan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that Democrats vying for the White House were in denial about terrorism.

Giuliani sounded exactly like a front-runner for the Republican nomination for president, accusing Democrats of being unable to confront Islamic terrorism.

"Islamic terrorists want to kill us. That is the predominant issue of our day," Giuliani said, drawing a standing ovation from a luncheon crowd of about 650 at Pat Robertson's Regent University in Virginia Beach. The Democrats "are in denial. I think they can't face this threat."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

ST. PAUL Minnesota is on the verge of joining as many as two dozen states that will weigh in on the presidential race with caucuses or primaries on Feb. 5.Leaders of the state Republican and Democratic parties said Monday that they’re likely to hold precinct caucuses a month earlier than usual. With the nation’s political calendar shifting forward, party leaders said moving the caucuses from March to February would be vital in giving state...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

      A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday easing a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law could have a big impact on the 2008 presidential election.

      The court ruled 5-4 to loosen restrictions on corporate- and union-funded television ads in the closing days of the primary and general elections, a decision that could give special interest groups more influence in the presidential race.

      The high court's upholding of an appeals court ruling that a Wisconsin anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads in the final two months before the 2004 elections could also hurt the presidential aspirations of the law's co-sponsor, GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit