There is no doubting the popularity of North Carolina's young, charismatic senator, John Edwards -- a self-proclaimed "advocate for the people."
And pundits and reporters have been speculating about a 2004 presidential bid for months.
After growing up in Robbins and attending the UNC School of Law, Edwards, D-N.C., came into the public's view as a successful Raleigh trial lawyer, claiming to have championed the state's less fortunate.
He was
his first attempt at political office.
With less than one term under his belt, Edwards, 49, will become North Carolina's senior senator when Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., retires in January.
He will be accompanied in Washington, D.C., by Sen.-elect Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.
Edwards sits on five Senate committees, including the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Barbara Allen, chairwoman for the N.C. Democratic Party, said Edwards will step up to the challenge of leading North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
"There will be no problem whatsoever with (Edwards) being our senior senator," she said. "He certainly is very smart, very brilliant, and he knows the issues.
"(Edwards) is very capable and very sincere. I think we trust him."
But Michael Munger, chairman of the Department of Political Science at Duke University, said Edwards will have little power in the U.S. Senate next session because Republicans have control of the chamber and Edwards is only a freshman senator.
"There are three things that matter in the United States Senate -- seniority, seniority and seniority," Munger said. "And (Edwards) doesn't have any of them.
"He might as well be a ghost. All he can basically do is watch from the outskirts."
But some say that no matter his political clout, Edwards has not served the needs of his state. "We definitely think he's out-of-step with North Carolina," said Jonathan Jordan, communications director for the N.C. Republican Party.
Jordan said Edwards and his policies are too left-wing to appeal to a historically conservative state.
Americans for Democratic Action, an organization that ranks members of the U.S. Congress with a "liberal quotient," gave Edwards an 88 LQ -- the same rank as Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. The higher the LQ, the more liberal the representative is considered by ADA.
"The groups that support him are all left-winged, and the legislation he has supported has been left-of-center," Jordan said.
But Munger said Edwards' voting history indicates he is more conservative than he claims to be.
Munger said Edwards has been ineffectual largely because his vie for the presidency has caused him to neglect North Carolina's needs. "He's been chasing mirrors and microphones," he said. "It's not lack of ability. He wants to be president. He's not interested in working in the Senate for North Carolina."
Allen said she recognizes that Edwards is a viable candidate for president in 2004 and that she looks forward to his campaign. "He's got as much experience as the one that's in there now."
The press has flooded the N.C. public with speculation on Edwards' presidential aspirations, giving him the reputation of a "media darling."
Newspapers have reported Edwards' every move, such as the hiring of key Democratic strategists and visits to states with early presidential primaries and caucuses, such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
The last native North Carolinian to live in the White House was Andrew Johnson, who took office after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
North Carolina has not supported a Democratic candidate for president since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Reporters and pundits it is only a matter of time before Edwards formally announces his presidential aspirations.
"He's clearly running for president," said Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC's Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life. "When he makes his official announcement, it will simply give his campaign some momentum.
"We already consider Senator Edwards to be running for president."
Edwards, who was reported to be 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore's second choice for running mate, already has proved his ability to raise campaign support and money.
He has out-raised other potential Democratic presidential contenders according to the latest campaign figures.
This year, Edwards raised eight times the amount of money Gore did and four times that raised by Joseph Lieberman, 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee. "He raised all this soft money and spent it on these ads," Jordan said. "They were definitely presidential ads."
North Carolina likely will have to continue to share a senator with the rest of the nation, at least until 2004.
The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
