Edwards Rallies SC Crowd

As Reported at The State

Edwards rallies S.C. crowd
Presidential candidate speaks at Dreher High
By RODDIE A. BURRIS

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards rallied hundreds Wednesday night in Columbia, marking his return to his home base, where he says he will make his stand for 2008.

“I’m in it for the long haul,” Edwards declared, sorely in need of a victory to remain viable in the presidential nomination process. “Less than 1 percent of the voters have spoken.

“Now it’s time for the people of South Carolina to be heard, loudly and clearly,” Edwards said.

The 2004 S.C. Democratic primary winner so far is the third wheel in a tight two-way race that has shifted between Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

While Edwards’ populist message of jobs and health care for all Americans has resonated in the 2008 campaign, catching on among his Democratic rivals and even in the rhetoric of some Republican candidates, Edwards has struggled to be heard above Clinton and Obama.

His rally at Dreher High School indicated he still has believers, though. “He is the only one that deserves to win,” one bystander said with assurance.

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