CONCORD, N.H. (Jan.5) — Presidential hopeful John Edwards has been storming through New Hampshire since his arrival Friday, pleading his case as an underdog ready to lead the nation.
“I was an underdog in Iowa, you saw what happened there,” Edwards said. “And I am an underdog here.”
Edwards’ underdog theme is one he has been stressing since his surprising strong second-place finish in Thursday’s Iowa caucuses. He continued to stress his comparative lack of campaign funding to Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
“They raised more than $200 million between them. They had the national media saying they were the only candidates in the race,” said Edwards, the former North Carolina senator. “But the voters said ‘No, we have a candidate who may not have all that money, a candidate who is speaking the truth — and a candidate who will fight with every fiber of his being for us.’”
Edwards arrived in New Hampshire early Friday morning, hours after his strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
“We have four days to decide what fighter we’re going to send into the arena,” Edwards told a raucous,crowd of about 200 supporters at a downtown rally at 6 a.m. Friday. The crowd braved subzero temperatures to welcome him to the state before the sun rose.
Edwards’ early-morning welcome rally began the final push in the state by the top three Democratic candidates — Edwards, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. All three held welcome rallies Friday morning before traveling across the state to begin the final four days of campaigning.
In Manchester on Friday, Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, emphasized his campaign’s success in Iowa, where he received 30 percent of the caucus-goers’ votes. Obama finished with 38 percent and Clinton, who is the national front-runner and raised the most money, finished in third with 29.
In his appeal to New Hampshire voters, Edwards pitched his health care plan, promised to fight against “corporate power” in Washington for the middle class and downplayed his comparative lack of campaign funding.
“New Hampshire is not going to have an auction,” Edwards said. “We are going to have an election. And come Tuesday, we are going to surprise America.”
Edwards’ wife Elizabeth urged the crowd to support him, saying her husband is an underdog in the race that everyone should root for. She compared him to the famous racehorse, Seabiscuit, who came back from serious injuries to beat the champion.
“You all know John, he’s a straight-talker. He never uses a metaphor, ever,” Elizabeth Edwards said. “But I have one for him. You saw how much attention the other candidates got, how much money the other candidates had. It seems to me that the perfect metaphor for this race right now is Seabiscuit. But they can’t count on any broken legs. This candidate doesn’t make mistakes.”
For his part, Edwards continued his assault on what he has called “corporate power” in Washington. “Corporate power has a stranglehold and it won’t give up without a fight,” he said. Throughout the campaign, he has promised to break that stranglehold.
On health care, Edwards emphasized his plans to reform health care and worker’s benefits in an attempt to appeal to the wide range of labor groups and middle-class workers in New Hampshire. United Steelworkers, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and United Auto Workers had representatives at the rally.
Brian Schneck, from Long Island, is a UAW member who traveled to New Hampshire for the week to campaign for Edwards. Schneck believes Edwards is the best candidate to provide affordable health care for all Americans and lower the unemployment rate.
“It’s about what working people need,” Schneck said. “What’s it gonna be for my daughters, who are 13 and 10 years old? What’s it gonna be like for them when they enter the workforce? The way I see it right now, there ain’t gonna be nothing.”
Barbara John, a 67-year-old grandmother from Newton, Mass. also has fears for the future of her family. Edwards is the candidate most capable of erasing the national defecit left behind by President Bush, John said.
“My grandchildren are going to struggle with all of this debt,” she said. “It’s incredible how easy it is to destroy something in such a short time.”
In his speech, Edwards made repeated references to the Iowa caucuses and his hope for similar results in New Hampshire’s Tuesday primary.
“What we learned last night is that the status quo is yesterday,” Edwards told the crowd. “Change is tomorrow and tomorrow begins today.”
(Heath D. Williams, a junior newspaper major, is covering the New Hampshire primary for The Pilot of Southern Pines, N.C.)
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