It’s that time again. The mudslinging on television, and the phone calls to the house. Yes, this is election season. The election that is about to go underway is the 2008 presidential election.

This is a major election that will most definitely impact our country and its foreign and domestic policies for years to come.

For the first time since 1952, both major parties will have open contests for the presidential nomination without a sitting President or Vice President in the running.

Before we enter the general election, there is a primary election. Members of each political party will compete for their party’s support in the general election.

The primary election in Missouri is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2008.

Declared candidacies for president from the Republican Party are former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.); Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.); former Ambassador Alan Keyes (R-Md.); US Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.); Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas); former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Mass.); Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) and former Tennessee U.S. Senator Fred Thompson.

Declared candidacies from the Democratic party are: US Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.); US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.); US Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.); former US Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.); former Alaska US Senator Mike Gravel (D-Va.); Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio); US Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Governor Bill Richardson (D-N.M.).

In the Iowa caucus, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee held large leads over their challengers for their parties’ nomination.

A gallup poll taken by the USA Today newspaper publication reveaed Clinton leading all opponents Democrat and Republican in various polls.

The percentage of registered vote’s that will support Hillary Clinton is 32 percent, 44 percent will not vote for her. Giuliani, shows that 22 percent will vote for him, while 39 percent will not. This is largely due to the fact that Giuliani is more liberal in a very conservative Republican party.

When registered voters were asked if the candidates had the personality and leadership qualities a president needed to have, 60 percent said Clinton had these qualities, 59 percent said Giuliani had these qualities, 56 percent said Obama had these qualities, and 32 percent said Romney had these qualities. These four are the top candidates in the presidential election for their parties nomination.

At Poplar Bluff High School political leaders expressed their opinions on the presidential primaries.

Teenage Republicans Associate Vice President Derek Spencer said, “I support Gov. Mitt Romney because he has performed the best in the GOP debates, and he has also raised the most money out of all GOP candidates. If Mayor Rudy Giuliani wins the nomination, I will support him. I think he is one of the few candidates that can beat Hillary Clinton in the general election. If Sen. Clinton is elected president, I feel that our country, after four years of her administration, will not elect another Democrat for a while. This is due to her socialist policies.”

Young Democrats President Sam Kennedy said, “I support John Edwards for president because he is the most moderate and experienced out of all Democrat candidates. Also, he is not as controversial as Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton is elected, I think she has the experience because she was in the White House for eight years, and if she does as well as President Bill Clinton did, I think it will be a positive note for our country.”

The first caucus was on Jan. 5, 2008 in Iowa.

Regardless of who wins the presidency, the country will most likely be transformed internationally, and domestically.