Democratic presidential front runner Mr John Kerry is set for his first victory in the South tomorrow and is threatening to derail the campaign of at least one of his key rivals.
Mr John Edwards the North Carolina lawyer and retired general Mr Wesley Clark from Arkansas are both a long way behind Mr Kerry, according to the latest opinion poll.
Ahead of the Tennessee and Virginia primaries, a Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby poll shows Mr Edwards behind by 24 points with Mr Clark a further two points back.
The Massachusetts senator needs to register a victory against a southerner in a southern state in order cement his position as Democrat nominee, and a double victory tomorrow could make his position unassailable.
But Mr Edwards was on the campaign trail today attacking President Bush's economic policies.
He told workers about to be laid off at a plant in Virginia that the president's policies would not create jobs.
"He has a fundamental misunderstanding of what's required over the long-term to sustain real economic growth and create jobs," Mr Edwards said.
He has promised funding and tax breaks for struggling communities and companies to help keep jobs from going overseas as part of his campaign focus on the struggling US economy.
He and Mr Clark have said they would continue their campaigns beyond tomorrow but a poor showing could force them to reconsider.
Tennessee is crucial to Mr Clark's chances and he also promised to reverse the haemorrhage of jobs. He said poor enforcement of trade agreements and tax breaks that encourage American companies to move operations abroad must be reversed.
He is running third in Tennessee, which neighbors his home state, but is trailing Mr Edwards.
He has struggled on questions about gay marriages saying supports equal rights for gays but while personally opposing allowing them marry he says the states should decide on the law themselves.
The latest tally of delegates shows Mr Kerry of widening his lead after yesterday's victories in Michigan, Washington state and Maine.
Kerry holds 426 more than twice the number of his closest rival, according to MSNBC.
But while tomorrow focuses on the Mr Kerry's battle with the Southern candidates, the struggling former Vermont governor Mr Howard Dean is still comfortably in second place with 184 delegates well ahead of Mr Edwards on 116 and Mr Clark on 82.
Meanwhile, President George W Bush, looking to regain his political footing after a difficult month, made an defended his controversial tax cuts.
He said the Democrats would increase taxes and questioned their promise to use the money to reduce the deficit, projected to hit a record high $521 billion in fiscal 2005.