What’s next for John Edwards and Mudcat Saunders

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: January 30, 2008

Today John Edwards dropped his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination. It was a surprise announcement to almost everyone except one of Edwards’ longtime advisors: Mudcat Saunders of Roanoke.

Saunders and I talked on the phone today. He told me he didn’t know that Edwards was going to make the decision so quickly, but he hinted that it wasn’t a surprise given Edwards’ lackluster showing in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. He came in second or third in all of those races. Instead, Saunders told me that Edwards’ decision was a “blow in the stomach.”

I have talked with Mudcat many times over the course of this campaign. Every time we chatted I got a clear sense of just how strongly he believed in John Edwards and his message. To say Mudcat had passion for both would be an understatement. But, that wasn’t his only reason for believing John Edwards was the strongest candidate. Saunders says for a Democrat to win the White House, he or she has to be competitive in the South including Virginia. He blames the John Kerry for ceding the South from the outset of his 2004 presidential campaign and he fears that Hillary Clinton will do the same. In fact he told me Clinton is “unelectable.”

So what’s next for Edwards? He said today during his last campaign speech that he will continue to fight poverty, something he calls his life’s work. In fact, Edwards made both the Obama and Clinton campaigns promise to make ending poverty a centerpiece of their campaigns and administrations.

What’s next for Mudcat? He says he will continue war on poverty with Edwards and that he’ll come home to “rattle some cages.” There are plenty to rattle between an upcoming battle for Roanoke City Mayor and three City Council seats, a Mark Warner Senate campaign (Saunders was an advisor for Warner’s gubernatorial campaign), and uphill fights for Democratic challengers against Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Roanoke Co.) and Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Rocky Mount). He also says he’s going to buy a cross bow for Jack Edwards, Edwards’ son, and teach him how to hunt with it.