Sen. John Edwards plans to return to two key presidential states in the coming two weeks.

The North Carolina Democrat is scheduled to address the South Carolina Democratic Party convention in Columbia on Saturday.

Edwards won South Carolina's Feb. 3 primary, and the state would likely again be key to his electoral strategy if he seeks the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

While in South Carolina, Edwards also plans to appear at a fund-raiser for Inez Tenenbaum, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

The following Saturday, Edwards is scheduled to head to Ohio, where he is booked as the keynote speaker at a Democratic Party dinner in Columbus.

Ohio is viewed as one of the key general-election battlegrounds. Some strategists have gone so far as to suggest that Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presumptive nominee, should pick the running mate who could do the most to help him carry that state.

A news release put out this week by the Ohio Democratic Party noted that Edwards "drew standing-room only crowds as he campaigned here" before the March 2 primary and attracted 1.2 million votes in his second-place finish to Kerry.

"John connects with voters, and those attending our dinner will be inspired by his message," said party Chairman Dennis L. White.

Dole reaching out

The state's junior senator, Republican Elizabeth Dole, is busy on the political front as well.

Dole is in the midst of a two-day gathering intended to raise money for her new political action committee, The Leadership Circle.

Dole held a reception Thursday night at her home in Washington. Today's agenda features a star-studded lineup of speakers at The Mayflower, a ritzy Washington hotel.

Among those scheduled to appear: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee; Ed Gillespie, the chairman of the Republican National Committee and a consultant on Dole's 2002 campaign; House Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri; and former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, who worked for Dole in 1999 when she was running for president.

Dole spokesman Brian Nick said that the guest list would be heavy on North Carolinians and that more than 100 people are expected to attend.

Price targets elections

U.S. Rep. David Price is continuing his efforts at election reform.

On Thursday, the Chapel Hill Democrat introduced a bill designed to safeguard against one of the problems encountered in Florida's 2000 election debacle.

In the weeks before the election, half of the state's precincts purged their voting rolls of supposed felons. As it turned out, thousands of residents, including a disproportionate number of minorities, were wrongly removed.

Price's "Protect American Voters Act" would require states to notify people whose names are being purged and allow them a timely appeals process.

"We need to confront the enormous task of restoring the confidence of our citizens in this year's presidential race, and this bill is a major step forward in our effort," Price said of his legislation.

Price earlier championed a "Stand By Your Ad" provision, signed into law in 2002, that requires federal candidates to announce responsibility for the ads they broadcast.