And Democratic front-runner and former first lady Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-Ill., still is haunted by a 1992 comment she made, which offended some mothers.
"I'm not one to sit at home baking cookies and having teas," Clinton said at the time.
But so far, she has kept parenting and politics separate. The Clintons have campaigned as a couple, but their daughter, Chelsea, has not been seen.
Finding equilibrium for family and politics simply is not relegated to Democrats. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has made his campaign a family business. His five sons all seem to have key roles in his White House bid, though his children are much older than than the Edwardses' children.