Edwards About to Throw Hat into the Ring

According to top Democratic officials, John Edwards will announce his candidacy for President within the month.
Edwards plans to make the announcement in a New Orleans neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina as a way of underscoring his "Two Americas" theme.

Edwards is slated to hit four early presidential nominating states--Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina--on a tour that will take place between Christmas and New Year's. During the course of the announcement tour, Edwards will unveil his revamped domestic agenda, which has been characterized as "more openly progressive."

Iowa is likely to be an early indicator for the viability of the Edwards campaign, as he made a strong showing there in 2004. Currently, polling among Iowa Democrats puts Edwards at 36%, more than double the support for Clinton (16%) and Obama (13%).

The disproportionate support Edwards enjoys in Iowa could help Edwards close the financial gap between himself and the other candidates, as they have campaign funds to spend, and Edwards is still in debt from his 2004 run.