Edwards First But Still Third

John Edwards is officially now a candidate for president in Texas. Yes, filing time has began yesterday in Texas for the 2008 general election, and Edwards was the first national Democratic contender for the big seat to get his paperwork to the Secretary of State (to go on the ballot) and the Texas Democratic Party (to get on the March 4 primary.) While he was actually on the stump in Manchester, NH, he joins a slew of Texas Democrats who are confirmed as being in the race, including aspiring Cornyn-crusher Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston, running for local, state, US congressional posts (the Republicans will be releasing their first list later today.)

For those wondering how Edwards is doing in the state race, he won the party's whole unscientific and non-binding e-primary in September, but in a November survey of likely Democrat voters in Texas by IVR Polls, he was trailing in third on 11% behind Barack Obama (17%) and Hillary Clinton (51%). Over the street at the GOP, no candidate has filed yet, but staff for the Republican Party of Texas said they expected the paperwork to come in "within the next week."