Ambassador Harrell?

Ty HarrellCould Ty Harrell represent us in the Great White North?

A Canadian magazine thinks so.

In its Dec. 17 issue, Embassy magazine included state Rep. Ty Harrell on a list of possible ambassadors to Canada, once "one of the most sought-after positions in American foreign service" but now maybe not-so-much.

"There is nobody clamouring for the job, and that silence is incredibly interesting," Canada expert Christopher Sands told the magazine.

Here's what it had to say about Harrell, a Raleigh Democrat:

Democratic state representative from the important swing state of North Carolina. This rising star endorsed Mr. Obama while John Edwards was still in the primaries. Wife is Canadian.

The magazine also included Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, former Rep. David Bonior, outgoing Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, among others. 

Bonior: What if Edwards had won?

David Bonior says John Edwards could have hurt his party.

The former campaign manager and Michigan Congressman said he was disappointed and angry that Edwards would betray the faith and confidence that thousands of supporters placed in him, Lisa Zagaroli reports.

"What if he had won the nomination — what kind of mess would that have put this party in?" Bonior said in a phone interview.

Bonior said the revelation of Edwards' affair had shaken his confidence in whether the full story had been revealed at this point. The former congressman noted that Edwards had already had the affair when he launched his campaign.

"You should not run for president," Bonior said. "We've had enough of this in politics. All of us are human, but if you do engage in this kind of activity, it should disqualify you from certain things, and that's one of them."

Bonior, a labor rights activist who shared Edwards' devotion to working Americans, donated 15 months to the campaign as campaign manager, traveling across the country as a surrogate.

"We had young people working 15 hours of day, day in and day out," he said.

Bonior on Edwards affair

David Bonior is not happy with John Edwards.

According to the Associated Press, Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign manager is disappointed and angry over revelations of an extramarital affair.

"Thousands of friends of the senators and his supporters have put their faith and confidence in him and he’s let him down," said Bonior, a former congressman from Michigan. "They've been betrayed by his action."

Asked whether the affair would damage Edwards' career, he said yes.

"You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence," he said.

A full statement from Bonior after the jump.

Bonior says don't endorse

David Bonior says John Edwards should not endorse Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

"His issues are really important, and if I were him, I would keep pressure on both of them to address the issues he really cares about," Bonior said. "And the best way to do that is to stay uncommitted."

But Bonior, Edwards' former campaign manager, told Jim Morrill of The Charlotte Observer today that he has no inside knowledge of whether Edwards will endorse one of his former rivals.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't," Bonior said. "I think he's really looking at what these two people can bring, what they have to offer in terms of what he cares about."

Edwards targets 10 Super Tuesday states

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards will focus his campaign dollars, staffers and personal visits on 10 of the 22 states coming up in next week’s Super Tuesday primary.

A few other states will see resources in key congressional districts, but overall, Edwards’ campaign strategists want to continue the delegate-gathering journey that they see as their best hope for winning the Democratic presidential nomination, reports Barb Barrett.

“If we can compete (in the 10 focus states) and be viable in the remaining 12 states, than we’re going to have a very good day on Feb. 5,” said David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager.

Read more after the jump.

Lucky numbers for Edwards in Nevada?

John Edwards likes the numbers he sees in Nevada.

A new poll by the Reno Gazette-Journal shows that the former North Carolina senator is in a tight race with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as Nevada Democrats prepare to caucus on Saturday.

The survey of 500 likely Democratic caucus participants showed the following:

Obama - 32 percent

Clinton - 30 percent

Edwards - 27 percent

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

“We feel very good about where this is going,” David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign chairman, said Monday. “This campaign is a three-way race. And this is a huge sign of strength for John Edwards as we march into Nevada and South Carolina."

Edwards asking for cash for South Carolina

The polls in New Hampshire haven't even closed yet, and John Edwards already is pushing for money to run strong in South Carolina.

The pundit line is that Edwards' cash flow will dry up quickly if he doesn't look good tonight in New Hampshire. Perhaps to ward that off, campaign manager David Bonior sent an appeal to supporters this afternoon, pleading for money, Barb Barrett reports.

In it, he says 50 people just landed at S.C. headquarters ready to work.

"You can help today with a contribution that will allow us to immediately buy the supplies and resources we need in our Columbia headquarters and other field offices around the
state," Bonior writes.

South Carolina's Democratic primary is Jan. 26.

Thanksgiving goodness for campaign cash

Nothing says "Thanksgiving" like some traditional family recipes — and campaign contributions.

John Edwards' campaign thinks so. The campaign is offering five recipes from members of the Edwards "campaign family" in exchange for a contribution of $20.08 (the year of the election), Lynn Bonner reports.

For your $20.08 (or more), the campaign will send recipes for

* bread pudding (Elizabeth Edwards' recipe)

* sweet potatoes with apples and mushroom soup (recipes from campaign manager David Bonior and wife Judy)

* Old Fashioned Down on the Farm Country Stuffing (recipes by consultant Joe Trippi and wife Kathy Lash)

* Mac n' Cheese (one of John Edwards' favorites).

A big boost in Iowa?

John Edwards' campaign officials cast today's endorsement by the Iowa council of the Service Employees International Union as a boost in the state that kicks off the presidential campaign in January.

"SEIU is going to be a major player in Iowa on behalf of Sen. John Edwards," Edwards's campaign manager David Bonior told reporters, The Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill reports.

SEIU has around 2,000 members in the state. Last week the national union - which claims 1.9-million members - decided not to make a national endorsement in the primaries.

Heading into the 2004 caucuses, SEIU endorsed Democrat Howard Dean. The former Vermont governor and then-U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri locked up most union endorsements that year. Each finished behind Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Edwards.

Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, Edwards' state campaign director, said this year's SEIU endorsement will be a big help.

"Two thousand members and their families will make a great difference to us on caucus night," she told reporters.

Edwards opts for public financing

John Edwards announced this afternoon that he will seek public financing for the Democratic presidential primary.

The Edwards campaign said he was taking the lead in "ending the money game in Washington."

“You can't buy your way to the Democratic nomination – you should have to earn the votes of the American people with bold vision and ideas,” David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager, said in a statement.

But Edwards' decision will mean he is subject to spending limits, and could put him at a disadvantage against his chief rivals - Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois. Clinton and Obama have outpaced Edwards in fundraising, and the deadline for third-quarter fundraising is Sunday.

Update: The FEC offers this explanation of how public financing works. The 2008 spending limits have not been set, but this chart indicates what the limits would be "if the election were held in 2007."

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