Presidential Campaign Heats Up Two Years Before Election Day

Washington Two weeks before Christmas, Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, made his first visit to New Hampshire, a crucial primary state, to give a speech to the Democratic Party faithful. The event was sold out, with thousands turning up in the hopes of seeing the senator, who has become a political superstar. Obama praised Hillary Clinton, his potential rival, but what the crowd came to hear was a declaration of his candidacy for the presidency. He hinted at his intentions, saying "all the hype about him had 'less to do with me, more to do with you' and that everyone, Senator Obama included, was looking for 'something different'."

Key Takeaways:

• Senator Obama's visit to New Hampshire was a turning point in his presidential campaign, with thousands attending his speech and live coverage on cable television.
• The Democratic Party poll showed Obama and Clinton running neck-and-neck in New Hampshire, where the first primary will be held in January 2008.
• Obama is the first "post-racial" candidate, a label that is likely to help him in his campaign.
• Obama's middle name is Hussein, but he has not let this be an issue in his campaign.
• The election is about two years away, but the candidates have already started campaigning, with some even starting their campaigns as early as the day after George Bush's re-election.
• Senator Clinton and John Edwards have been campaigning since then.
• The candidates are already raising significant amounts of money, with the main presidential candidates expected to spend close to $US1 billion in the lead-up to the 2008 poll.
• Obama has been described as a "one-man melting pot" due to his mixed ancestry.
• Obama's visit to New Hampshire was a significant moment in the campaign, with his speech being covered live on cable television.
• Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic candidate, plans to focus on economic issues in her campaign.
• Senator McCain, John Kerry's running mate in 2004, has also been campaigning for a presidential bid.

Statistics:

• Over 160 reporters attended Senator Obama's speech in New Hampshire.
• The first primary in the election will be held in January 2008.
• The main presidential candidates are expected to spend close to $US1 billion in the lead-up to the 2008 poll.
• Over 1500 tickets were sold out for Obama's speech in New Hampshire.
• Romney's presidential campaign has spent the past year reformulating his social views to appeal to the Republican base.
• Senator Clinton has raised tens of millions of dollars in her campaign.
• There have been over 10 formal declarations of candidacy by prominent figures so far.
• More than 160 reporters attended the event.

Sources:

• "Washington Two weeks before Christmas, Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois elected to the Senate less than two years ago, made his first visit to New Hampshire to give a speech to the Democratic Party faithful."
• "A few days later, a Democratic Party poll showed that senators Obama and Clinton were running neck-and-neck in New Hampshire, where the first crucial primary of the presidential election campaign will be held in late January 2008."
• "Of the favourites from both parties, only Mr Edwards has formally declared, this week, in a rather dramatic fashion, from the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, the predominantly black area of the city that was devastated by hurricane Katrina and that remains wrecked and empty more than a year later."
• "The need to raise stupendous amounts of money - close to $US1 billion ($A1.26 billion) will be spent by the main presidential candidates in the run-up to the 2008 poll."
• "The election is still almost two years off, but the prospective candidates for both parties, even if they have not yet formally declared their candidacy, are well and truly off and running."