Edwards Staying In
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Despite a disappointing third-place finish in the state in which he was born and the state which he won in 2004, John Edwards vowed tonight to continue his campaign, at least through Super Tuesday.
After saying he joined Hillary Clinton in congratulating Barack Obama on his convincing South Carolina victory, Edwards confirmed his intentions to press his campaign.
"Now the three of us move on to February 5th," declared Edwards near the top of his five-minute speech, creating an eruption of cheers among the hundreds of supporters inside Jillian's Nightclub in Columbia.
Edwards's schedule over the next week has him crossing the country through Super Tuesday states starting in Georgia tomorrow and touching soil in Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, and California.
Edwards campaign senior adviser Joe Trippi said that Edwards is in a strong position to capture delegates in at least some of those states.
"In Oklahoma, we're doing much better there than we did here; Obama's not doing well in Oklahoma at all," said Trippi. "Missouri, we were in the 20s. I mean there's a whole bunch of states already with public polls out for February 5th where we're doing stronger than we did here."