COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was back in his native state a day after Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings snubbed him by endorsing fellow senator and rival John Kerry.

Pumping his fist in the air Friday, Edwards entered an auditorium packed with about 300 cheering supporters - a much larger crowd than the 50 or so people at a New Hampshire factory earlier in the day.

South Carolina remains a make-or-break state for Edwards, a North Carolina senator and Seneca native who surprised many observers this week with a second place showing in Iowa. New Hampshire's primary is Tuesday and South Carolina's first-in-the-South contest comes a week later.

Edwards didn't appear phased by Hollings' endorsement of Kerry.

"I love Fritz Hollings; he's a good man. But I think we learned in Iowa how much difference these endorsements make," Edwards said. "The voters decide for themselves."

On Jan. 9 Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin threw his support to Howard Dean, who was picked to finish first or second in the caucuses but came in third.

Anne Bennett, 82, of Columbia likes what she sees in Edwards. "He seems to be down with the people," she said.

Edwards stayed on message: better health care, reigning in pharmaceutical companies and lobbyists, affordable college and regular knocks on the Bush administration. Then there's the "two America" talk that's a staple of his stump.

"We're not going to two health care systems: one for people who can afford the best health care money can buy in a country that has it and one for everybody else rationed out by insurance companies drug companies, HMOs," he said. "We're not going to have two tax systems: one for those corporations, big corporations that aren't paying any taxes and one for - let me think - you."

Edwards has passed on attacking his Democratic rivals, which may serve him well here. South Carolina voters rejected candidates with hard-edge ads and heated rhetoric in a hotly contested GOP gubernatorial primary two years ago.

Edwards supporter Veda Johnson says she's looking for candidates to keep things positive.

"I don't like it. I don't like them attacking each other," the 65-year-old Columbia retiree said after the rally. "They need to be good to each other."

Bennett wants to see a gentler race, too. "I appreciate that they are not arguing and snapping at each other," she said.

Edwards isn't likely to change styles, said Neal Thigpen, a Francis Marion University political scientist. "If you're Edwards, you're off message if you go negative," he said.

The rally included some Dick Gephardt supporters who were candidate shopping after the Missouri congressman finished fourth in Iowa and dropped out of the race.

Democratic state Treasurer Grady Patterson had endorsed Gephardt but attended the Edwards event. "I just want to sift out a few things," Patterson said, adding that he would decide next week who to support.