It takes 2025 delegates to win. Looking at the delegate count: Obama (63), Clinton (48), and Edwards (26), this race is far from over. Millions of voters have yet to cast their votes. Their voices will be heard.
From the very beginning, our campaign has been about one central thing: giving voice to millions of Americans who have absolutely no voice in our democracy.
If you are worried about your health care or, like 47 million other Americans you have no health care, your voice will be heard in this campaign.
If you're one of 37 million Americans who wake up every single day, worried about how to feed and clothe your children and living in poverty, your voice will be heard in America -- and it will be heard in this campaign and we will speak and fight for you.
If you're worried about being able to pay for your child to be able to go to college and being able to pay for tuition and books, your voice will be heard in this campaign -- and it will be heard in America.
If you're one of the forgotten middle class, working and struggling just to pay your bills, worrying every single day about what may be around the corner, we will give you a voice in this campaign.
And if you're one of the extraordinary men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States with pride and honor and served this country patriotically, and you're not getting the health care you need or deserve, your voice will be heard in this campaign. If you're one of the 200,000 veterans living in America who every night go to sleep under bridges, in shelters or on heating grates, your voice will be heard in America.
That's why this campaign moves on to February 5 and "Super Tuesday" when millions of Americans will cast their vote and help shape the future of the Democratic Party and, most importantly, help shape the future of America.
John Edwards is speaking for the voiceless in this campaign. He has represented progressive causes, fighting for economic and social justice, those that are the core principles of the Democratic party. Being the first to come out with a truly Universal Health Care Plan, a Plan to End Poverty, A Rural Recovery Plan and a Green Economy Policy, undoubtedly, Edwards has raised the bar, forcing other candidates to tweak their policies to the left.
With Edwards being the most progressive candidate in this race, he has been the conscience of our party. As Ted Kennedy stated today, " John Edwards has been a powerful advocate for economic and social justice."
And, he can.still.win. Edwards can roll up the kind of delegate count that will win him the nomination on the back half of this campaign. Keep in mind, that in 1992, Bill Clinton did not win a primary until 8 states into the campaign. It can happen.
The Edwards campaign is working aggressively to ensure it does happen. Today, the Edwards for President Campaign released a memo detailing some of their efforts moving into Super Tuesday and beyond:
Born to working class parents and raised in small, rural towns across the South, John Edwards will appeal to all hard-working families in the February 5th states because he understands the values and struggles these voters face. We believe he will be competitive in all 22 states holding primaries next Tuesday and have staff, advisors, and support from labor covering all 22 states. Experienced political, press, advance and field staff are already on the ground in February 5th states to grow and mobilize our support. We are waging aggressive campaigns building on the political foundation and support already established through the branches of One Corps (the grassroots organizing arm of the campaign), online mobilization, and earned media with in-state surrogates. This work has been underway for over a year.
In addition, in the next 48 hours, the campaign will launch aggressive media buys starting in 10 states and likely expanding in the days leading up to February 5th. These will be significant media buys that will have a real impact on the race, particularly because voters in these states have not yet had broad exposure to John Edwards’ message. As we saw in South Carolina, once people have a chance to hear directly from John Edwards, the numbers move.
We will be broadly competitive, earning delegates from across the February 5th states and onto the subsequent contests in Louisiana, Virginia, and Maryland. We expect that when voters in the these states are finally offered the choice the national media has ignored all year – the most progressive, most electable candidate in the race, John Edwards – we will prevail.
Additionally, Edwards has the money needed to keep his campaign running strong; albeit he's up against two 100 Million Dollar celebrity candidates. Yet, Edwards remains competitive. He did afterall, beat Hillary Clinton in Iowa despite the fact he was far outspent.
And...the donations continue to roll in:
ONLINE FUNDRAISING BOOM
We enter the February 5th phase of the campaign on solid financial footing. The campaign has enjoyed an online fundraising boom – over $3.2 million raised online since the first of the year – most of which will be doubled by federal matching funds. This represents an 81% increase over December in total number of contributions: 44,007 contributions were made during this period, compared with 24,240 from December 1 to December 31. These 44,007 contributions came from 35,351 donors compared to 20,243 in December. This is a 74% increase in contributing donors from December to January. We have seen an increase of 104% over the number of first-time givers in December (10,049). The pool of our support is widening – we’ve seen a 155% increase in new additions to our list compared to growth in December.
Most importantly, we are seeing longtime online supporters make first-time contributions. We've also seen lower average contributions, by as much as $25 less than a typical daily average – but offset by higher volume. Our supporters are seeing this race everywhere now – and they're looking for ways to contribute.
Independent online activists have had a hand in this fundraising effort. KingOneEye recently intiated a fundraiser which helped to contribute to one of the campaign's biggest fundraising days ever. Bloggers are now holding a "$200,000 Day" fundraiser. Click the photo below to make your donation today!
Edwards remains competitive in a number of states, in fact he's polling in a statiscal tie with Obama in a couple of states. He continues to fight on!
The fact is, we can trust John Edwards to move forward and implement the bold polices that he has proposed. He is the only candidate who has never accepted donations from Washington Lobbyists or PACS. He is beholden to no one but the people.
"Trust your heart" and stand up for the candidate who is both the most progressive and the most electable in a general election: John Edwards!