Thus far Democratic contenders have paid very little attention to Tennessee. General Clark is the only candidate who’s been advertising in the state.
Supposedly, however, that may be changing:

The surprise emergence of John Kerry � who finished first � and John Edwards � who finished second � in Iowa last night means Tennessee has a better chance of seeing a more spirited primary that might decide the Democratic nominee, political watchers here say.
”What you’re seeing is a turning of the undecideds toward Kerry and Edwards,” said Randy Button, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. ”Going into the primaries, that makes Tennessee more relevant.”
Tennessee’s primary is Feb. 10, earlier than the usual March date. Early voting begins tomorrow.

Call it jealousy or whatever, but I’m a little ticked off that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire–which, incidentally, don’t represent America as a whole–get so much attention while voters in states such as Tennessee are basically ignored.
Democratic candidates spent at least $12 million in Iowa, a state where they’re lucky to get a 10% voter turnout. Consequently:

The estimated spend for every Iowa caucus goer is $100 – compared with an average $1.50 that will be spent on every American voter in the elections in November.

That’s crazy.
We need to revamp the primary calendar so that more voters matter.

I’ve been so focused on national news that I didn’t realize that Tennessee started selling lottery tickets today–not that I was going to buy tickets, anyway.
I encourage everyone to go out and blow their money invest in education by purchasing lottery tickets.

Gephardt: Done.
Lieberman: One event closer to being done.
Sharpton: No change.
Kucinich: Probably no change, unless the Edwards’ “deal” alienated part of his base.
Dean: Loser. If the caucus itself didn’t hurt him, the spectacle afterward sure did. When you’re running for president, it’s probably a good idea to act–you know–dignified and presidential.
Clark: Mixed result. On one hand bypassing Iowa and staying in New Hampshire didn’t turn out to be too damaging because no clear front runner emerged from the caucus. On the other hand, all the media attention was focused on Iowa, not New Hampshire.
Kerry: Winner. Iowa gives him credibility and momentum heading back to New England. Problem is it’s still unclear how competitive he can be in the South. Moreover, he drained a good chuck of his resources in Iowa. Is there another house to mortgage?
Edwards: Winner. Iowa propelled his candidacy to top-tier status. Lots of momentum and media exposure. And unlike Dean, the more people have seen of Edwards, the more they seem to like him.

I didn’t see this coming:

Democratic presidential candidates John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich have struck a deal to support each other should one candidate fail to draw the minimum support needed to compete in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, Edwards campaign sources said.

Kind of strange in that the two don’t seem like a natural ideological match.
I doubt it will have a significant impact on the contest tonight. A candidate’s supporters aren’t necessarily going to follow guidance from above. And even if they are inclined to do so, word of this “deal” is coming out so late that some supporters may not even hear about it.
Still, in a race as close as Iowa is purported to be, this kind of thing could make a difference.

Does President Bush have any chance whatsoever of upsetting the Democratic nominee this November?