Student Body Politic 3: A Visit With Cate Edwards
By Andrew Romano ’04
This time next year, Cate Edwards ’05 might have to help her family pack up its belongings and move to a new house – the White House. Her father, John Edwards, is one of nine Democrats vying for the party’s nomination. I sat down with Cate on a recent Sunday in December. I wanted to know more about the life of a would-be First Daughter. She’s gregarious but guarded; casual but driven. She understands what she can and cannot say in an interview about her father – no strategy talk, no badmouthing the other Dems. Cate has learned the rules of the presidential race – but she hasn’t grown cynical. She still believes in the power of politics to move people. And most of all, she still believes in “Dad.”
So how did you react when your father told you he was running for president of the United States?
To be honest, my dad didn’t make the decision to run for president individually. It was made as a family on many levels — mom and I knew that he wanted to do it, so we were very supportive. When he finally decided he was gonna go for it, he asked our permission to make sure that we were cool with the craze that the race entails.
Is it tough to be the daughter of a presidential candidate?
Of course it’s hard simply on the level that my dad is running for president; it’s a big deal. Sometimes I just think – who am I?
On a practical level, what are the demands your father's campaign places on you?
I’ve been on the road throughout the summer and fall, speaking mainly with young people in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. While my roommate is in Hawaii for Christmas break, I’ll be traveling with my dad and family in New Hampshire and Iowa. Presidential politics just isn’t quite as glamorous as one might think.
These demands must conflict with your life as a Princeton student. Have you had to make compromises, academic or social, in order to help out with the campaign?
Of course. I’ve been gone on weekends campaigning instead of hanging out with my friends. I’ve had to shift my workload and class schedule to cater to the demands of the campaign. But since I know my dad has made much bigger sacrifices for me, it never really seems like that big of a deal to miss some of the little things.
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http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/web_exclusives/more/more_studentbody.htmlHere's some more stuff:
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/search.jsp?quickSearch=true&doSubmit=true&searchString=cate+edwards&submit=Search+Archive
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