Cate Edwards Helps Launch Generation Engage

RALEIGH, N.C. — The daughter of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is part of a new initiative to get young people involved in politics.

Cate Edwards, a recent college graduate, spent much of last year on the campaign trail, and she became a link between young people and her father's vice-presidential bid.

Now, she and seven others are starting a new campaign called Generation Engage.

It's designed to get young people interested in politics -- not just around election time.

Generation Engage

"We just don't see politics as an alley for change; it's very important for us to start to realize that," Cate Edwards said.

To get the word out, she and members of the non-profit organization are hosting events like the one held Saturday night at King's in downtown Raleigh.

They invited the youngest elected statewide official in North Carolina -- state treasurer Richard Moore -- to speak to the packed crowd.

"The truth is, there's power in numbers," Edwards said. "So if we can gather large groups of us together to have a political dialogue, politicians will come to us."

For Edwards, it's a chance to share her enthusiasm for politics, just as her father shares his concern for the poor as head of UNC-Chapel Hill's new Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity.

"It's something he talked about during the campaign and something that he cares deeply about," Cate Edwards said. "So he's excited about really getting into that."

Cate Edwards also said her mother -- Elizabeth Edwards -- is nearing the end of her treatment for breast cancer.

"She's doing very well; she's in high spirits," Cate Edwards said. "She's gone through the toughest part of her treatment, and she's just been really strong and completely selfless throughout this entire process. We're really impressed by her."

Cate Edwards would not comment on whether her father plans another run for the White House in 2008.

She said, right now, he is concentrating on his wife's health.

Edwards added that her parents plan to move back to North Carolina from Washington, D.C., this summer.