Staff Writer
John Edwards stops to campaign at Tommy's Country Ham House on Friday in Greenville, S.C.
VOTING TODAY
The South Carolina Democratic primary will be held today. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. The Edwards campaign will monitor the results from Columbia.Related Links
- Decision 2008 (Blog)
- Should Edwards drop out if no win in S.C.? (Blog)
GREENVILLE, S.C. — John Edwards' presidential campaign awoke Friday to the news that he was within striking distance of second place in the South Carolina Democratic primary today.
But second place wasn't on anyone's mind as the former N.C. senator prepared to address the crowd at Tommy's Country Ham House.
"The Yankee pundits can say all they want," said Carlyle Steele, a local lawyer and self-described "envelope stuffer," drawing on an epithet that's used only half in jest. Steele suggested that national media players were out of touch with realities on the ground.
That has been a theme of Edwards' stump speeches here throughout the week.
Lacking an early primary win, Edwards was asked Friday if he was becoming a divisive force in the national primary race, led by Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
"Exactly the opposite," Edwards said, standing in front of his campaign bus as it idled in a cold wind outside the restaurant.
"The two of them are spending their time and their energy tearing each other down. Our party needs somebody speaking in a loud, clear voice for all those Americans struggling literally to survive every day ...
"I'm going to continue to speak for (those Americans), not for me. And I'm not interested in the squabbles between the two of them."
Indeed, radio and television ads aired by Obama and Clinton launch salvos at the other candidate but never mention Edwards' name. In his own ads here, Edwards criticizes this tit-for-tat campaign that he says distracts from the issues at hand.
Clinton has victories in New Hampshire and Nevada to her credit, while Obama kicked off the primary season with a win in Iowa.
Obama hopes to even the win-loss columns in advance of Super Tuesday voting on Feb. 5. That's when more than 20 states will hold Democratic primaries and caucuses.
Edwards hopes a strong second- or surprise first-place showing will win him equal time in the national political conversation rather than being viewed as a potentially divisive third wheel for the Democrats.
Steele, who was a volunteer for the Edwards campaign in 2004, said he didn't know the candidate well, except through his policies and rhetoric.
When asked if he was worried that Edwards would stay in the race until the convention, running third and leaving the party divided at midsummer, Steele said that wasn't his concern.
"I'm just going to do what I can to get him elected here," he said. "We're going to surprise a lot of people."
Throughout South Carolina, those volunteering for Edwards express the same kind of determination.
The facts that until this week polls showed Edwards running a distant third here, that he trails in the money race and that national media has spent relatively little airtime and ink on Edwards only seems to stoke their vigor.
Later Friday, after a gathering hosted by the Student Association for Voter Empowerment in Columbia, Edwards was asked if he needed to place second in order to remain viable — a code word for having enough support in money to carry on the campaign.
"Absolutely not," he said. Earlier this week, Edwards said his campaign had budgeted for the long haul.
That said, Edwards told reporters Friday that his chances might be better here than some people expect.
"We've got a lot of energy and momentum right now. It's clear from my events that we're moving and I think there is a real opportunity for a surprise, but we are coming from behind," he said.
And in fact, at least some top-tier politicians see Edwards emerging from South Carolina with a major role to play going forward.
"If he stays in the race and keeps getting 15, 20 percent, he will be a big factor in the convention because you've got to get 50 percent plus one to win," House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Friday. The S.C. Democrat has not endorsed a candidate.
Tracking polls have shown Edwards gaining ground throughout the week, the only candidate to do so.
Pollster John Zogby said in an e-mail Friday morning that Edwards was picking up support among previously undecided voters, particularly African Americans who make up half of the Democratic primary electorate here.
"I want to hear what all three candidates have to say," said Howard Ffrench, 29, an assistant manager for a local hotel.
The Columbia resident said that he was leaning toward Clinton but, "I could choose Edwards."
French is attending campaign events for all three candidates in an effort to solidify his choice before heading to the polls today.
Edwards' campaign announced a list of endorsements from local political figures on Friday, and at his Columbia campaign event, his support from environmental organizers was evident from a number of folks in the crowd waving signs and sporting "Friends of Earth Action" campaign buttons.
"We think the contrast between Edwards and the other two candidates is going to drive people to Edwards," said Brent Blackwelder, president of the national group. Edwards opposes nuclear power, a hot topic of debate here in South Carolina.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. I.U. has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is I.U endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
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