For Candidates, A Chance To Come Home
This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.
With less than two months left before the pivotal Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, presidential candidates find themselves in constant campaign mode, their days so tightly scheduled that there is little time for reflection.
But most will have at least a few brief moments for contemplation this week, as they step off the campaign trail to celebrate Thanksgiving. For some, it will be their first real break from campaigning in months.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, and Gov. Bill Richardson will spend the holiday at home with their families. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be home with his family as well, feasting on "Aunt Pat's Cheese and Macaroni," according to a spokesman.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who arrived home Tuesday night, told CBS News his plans for the holiday. "[Wife] Elizabeth and [daughter] Cate will do the cooking with some help from me, and we'll be together on Thanksgiving Day. The kids made the placemats - Emma Claire and Jack. And Friday we'll watch football like we always do."
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told CBS News that his whole family won't be together for Thanksgiving, since his daughter-in-law is about to give birth. "And yet we will have three of my sons and their wives and grandchildren at our home in Belmont," he said. "We will typically begin with football - that's the boys at least - and we have a couple of neighbors that we have a football game with. Then we typically watch the Detroit Lions game." Romney said he stuffs the turkey himself.
"We'll be going home," former Sen. Fred Thompson told CBS News. "It'll just be my wife, Jeri, and our two children, Hayden and Sammy, and we're going to have a quiet Thanksgiving alone. We haven't had very many quiet days in a long time and this is going to be one of those days and I'm really looking forward to it, to a full day with them and seeing if Jeri still remembers how to cook a turkey."
Rep. Ron Paul is headed home to Texas to spend the holiday with his family, and will not travel between Wednesday and Sunday. "He's taking about five days off over the Thanksgiving holiday to try to charge his batteries and get ready for the really hectic campaign trail in November and December," said spokesman Jesse Benton.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and his wife will host a brunch at the ESPN Zone in Times Square for friends and family of first responders who died on Sept. 11, according to a campaign spokesman. Giuliani will later have dinner at his home in Manhattan.
Some candidates aren't returning home for the holidays: Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Chris Dodd will both be in Iowa for Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, both candidates are volunteering to gather or distribute food. The following day Biden and his family will help serve meals at the Machine Shed Restaurant near Des Moines, and afterwards have thanksgiving dinner with campaign staff. Dodd and his family, who are temporarily living in the state, will celebrate with supporters at a farm in Monticello. Rep. Dennis Kucinich is not releasing his plans for Thanksgiving, though he and his wife will be in New Hampshire, where he is spending the week campaigning.
Sen. John McCain, meanwhile, will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with American troops in Iraq. He will be accompanied by a small congressional delegation in what will be his seventh visit to the country.
Candidates have traditionally stayed out of the public eye on Thanksgiving Day, though this campaign cycle's early primary schedule has put greater pressure on them to be active than in years past.
"Thanksgiving is a family oriented holiday, and for candidates who want to emphasize family values, they should be having Thanksgiving dinner with their family," says Georgetown University professor of government Stephen Wayne. "There are a couple of other acceptable options: Having dinner with the troops in Iraq, or going to volunteer someplace where they make meals for the needy and participating that way."
"I wouldn't appear at halftime at the Dallas or Detroit football games," adds Wayne. "I think it should be more respectful of what the holiday stands for."
Edwards is trying to walk the line between honoring the holiday and politicking in a new ad, titled "Thanksgiving," which begins airing Wednesday in three early primary states. In it, he gives thanks for his family as well as "all of you, who have welcomed us into your homes and hearts."
CBS News reporters John Bentley, Scott Conroy, Ryan Corsaro, Aaron Lewis and Joy Lin contributed to this report.
By Brian Montopoli