In this June 4, 1992 file photo, Hamilton Jordan answers questions at a news conference in Dallas. Jordan, a political strategist from south Georgia who helped propel Jimmy Carter to the White House where Jordan served as chief of staff, died Tuesday May 20, 2008 after a long battle with cancer. He was 63. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)AP - In planning Jimmy Carter’s climb to the White House, Hamilton Jordan pushed a strategy still popular with lesser-known candidates today: start campaigning years in advance and target early voting states to build support from early upsets.