I’ve been a print guy for 25 years here at the newspaper.

I’m still a print guy. But now I’m pumped about this new blog, Campaign ’08, which will run through the presidential election campaign of 2008.

I won’t limit myself to just presidential politics for 2008, though that’s clearly the focus. And I’ll post here about the 2007 municipal election, when warranted.

But first and foremost, the blog will add to our newspaper’s political coverage of the presidential candidates’ campaigns, which should make frequent stops to our area if the 2004 campaign was any indication.

Candidates, their family members and other surrogates made so many visits that it was hard not to get caught up in the campaign excitement.

President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Democratic nominee John Kerry, and Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards were just some of the big names who campaigned in our region in ’04.

Pennsylvania was in play, and Erie, as the state’s fourth-largest city, became a must visit on the road to our nation’s capital. Cheney, for the record, campaigned in Meadville.

Pennsylvania figures to be a swing state again in 2008. So, expect the campaigns to focus their attention here once more, at least for the fall campaign.

If you can’t meet the candidates yourself or sort out some of the issues leading to the election, I hope to give you a vicarious look at the campaigns through this forum.

As the paper’s lead political reporter, my goal is to inform, enlighten, and maybe even entertain depending on the circumstances.

If you don’t feel comfortable commenting here, you can always send an e-mail to john.guerriero@timesnews.com.

Welcome to Campaign ’08.

It should be a heck of a ride to the White House.

— John Guerriero