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An Early Start

Spanish Translation

--Nellie Gonzalez Cutler
With reporting by Perry Bacon Jr. and Karen Tumulty

In the past 30 days, John Edwards has visited Louisiana, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Alabama, New York, Nevada and even his home state of North Carolina. He has appeared on all the major TV networks. He has given speeches, shaken hands and answered questions from reporters. Edwards is running hard for President. The election is still 21 months away.

Edwards is not alone on the campaign trail (see "On Your Marks"). One reason candidates are so eager to get started: This will be the first Presidential election in many years in which no incumbent, or current, President or Vice President is in the race. Already being in office can be a big advantage.

With the race wide open, the dash to get into the contest has intensified in the past month. On January 16, Senator Barack Obama posted a video on his website saying he was in. Five days later, Senator Hillary Clinton did the same. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she said. The next day, New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson, jumped into the race.

There has been a flurry of activity on the Republican side as well. The day before his term as governor of Massachusetts ended on January 4, Mitt Romney announced his bid. On January 20, Senator Sam Brownback said he wanted his party's nomination. "I am a conservative, and I'm proud of being a conservative," he told supporters.

The road to the White House is long and expensive. First, most candidates form an exploratory committee. It allows the candidate to raise money and awareness. Declaring candidacy and filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) comes next. This government agency keeps track of how much money candidates take in and how much they spend.

The government helps candidates pay for their campaigns if they agree to limits on donations. Analysts say that the two eventual party nominees could well spend up to $500 million each before Election Day, on November 4, 2008.

Many Popularity Contests

Caucuses and primaries are the first tests of a candidate's popularity. At a caucus, people belonging to the same party meet to choose delegates to a party convention. A primary is a statewide election to choose delegates. All the delegates gather at the convention, where they pick their party's nominee.

Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada are slated to hold the first contests. That's why candidates are already campaigning in those states. Traditionally, candidates who do the best early go on to win their party's nomination.

Americans will have many opportunities to meet the candidates. Voters may also get a chance to make history. If elected, Obama, Clinton, Richardson or Romney would break barriers. Obama would be the first African-American President; Clinton, the first woman; Richardson, the first Hispanic; and Romney, the first Mormon.

On Your Marks

There are almost two dozen potential candidates for the Democratic and Republican nominations for President. Some candidates have hit the campaign trail. Others have not formally announced. Here are some faces to watch.

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