Is John Edwards Focusing on the Wrong State?

Mon, January 14, 2008 - 2:00 PM

As a Southerner, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has focused nearly all of his attention over the last week on winning in South Carolina, the state of his birth. A win here – which appears unlikely right now – could help revive his campaign.

Is it possible, though, that Edwards is focusing on the wrong state? Despite his native-son appeal in South Carolina, polls show him running a distant third behind Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

But a new poll out in Nevada today by the Reno Gazette-Journal, shows Edwards locked in a much tighter race in that state than in South Carolina. Accounting for the margin of error of 4.5 percent, the poll shows that race is a dead heat, with Obama getting 32 percent, Clinton at 30 percent, and Edwards at 27 percent.

The caucuses there are scheduled for Sunday, so there's still plenty of time for a shift -- either for or away -- for Edwards.

One interesting subplot: the impact of the union vote. Edwards' strong anti-corporate, pro-worker populist message has made him the candidate of choice for many labor unions, though some have gone with Clinton or Obama as a second choice because of fears that Edwards could not win. A key union out there, the Culinary Workers Union, which represents casino workers, came out for Obama last week, which was expected to give him a strong edge.

--Sean Mussenden