By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The race for president is heating up in Western New York. Democrat John Edwards and John Kerry's wife Teresa will each visit the region this weekend.
The first to arrive will be Edwards. The North Carolina senator will appear at a campaign rally at the Polish Cadets Hall in Black Rock at 6:00 Friday night.
Thursday, Edwards held a conference call with reporters from upstate New York. He said he'll use his upstate appearances to highlight his opposition to NAFTA -- a message he expects will resonate in the wake of so many job losses in recent years. Edwards also said he would work to bring back those jobs, especially to hard-hit areas like Buffalo.
"In places where jobs have been lost, we're going to actually create incentives for new businesses locating there," Edwards said. "We'd have a national venture capital fund that would provide seed money. We would also provide tax incentives to existing businesses."
Meanwhile, a Saturday appearance by front-runner John Kerry in Rochester has been canceled. But his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, will launch a statewide bus tour in Buffalo Saturday morning.
Kerry's campaign received a boost yesterday when the Erie County Democratic committee announced it's endorsing him. Party Chairman Len Lenihan is encouraging all Democrats to support the candidate of their choice. But he said it was time for the party to unite with one voice to beat President Bush.
"For the next two weeks, national attention will focus on New York State," Lenihan said. "Our executive committee decided it was time for us to take a position in this critically important election."
Lenihan says three main issues decided the committee's endorsement -- Kerry's stand on national security, his experience, and his electability.