John Edwards and Fred Thompson will give their takes on the race for the White House during a visit to Erie on June 18.

Yeah, they know something about that issue even if they didn’t have much success in the 2008 presidential race.

Edwards, a Democrat, and Thompson, a Republican, were both in the campaign during the early going. And Edwards was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004. They will speak at the Manufacturers’ Association’s 103rd annual event at the Bayfront Convention Center.

Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will moderate.

This is a great follow-up to the group’s 102nd event, when political strategists James Carville and Mary Matalin entertained the crowd.

For ticket information to this year’s event, contact Tracy Shepherd at 833-3200 or (800) 815-2660. Or visit www.manp.org.

Who knows? By then, the race for the Democratic nomination might even be decided.

— John Guerriero