Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., celebrates with supporters at a post South Carolina Primary rally, Tuesday Feb. 3, 2004, in Columbia, S.C. Associated Press

Edwards' win won't win race

AIKEN - John Edwards got the decisive South Carolina primary win he said his presidential candidacy needed, but last night's results weren't repeated in enough of the six other states to make him more than a regional power, political observers said Tuesday.

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Graphic shows order of finish and percentages for the South Carolina primary. Click on the graphic for a larger version. Associated Press

The wide margin of victory by Mr. Edwards, the U.S. senator from North Carolina who was born in upstate South Carolina, didn't eclipse a strong second-place showing in South Carolina by U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Mr. Kerry added to his earlier wins in Iowa and New Hampshire with heavy victories in Missouri and Delaware and projected victories in Arizona and North Dakota.

At best, analysts said, this gives Mr. Edwards, who was also in a tight race with retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark in Oklahoma, a short-term ticket to continue his campaign as an option for Democrats uncomfortable with Mr. Kerry.

"This is going to make him look like the model alternative to Kerry," said Robert Botsch, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken. "It provides Edwards with an opportunity, but the odds are against him."

However, mainstream Democrats are much less uncomfortable with Mr. Kerry than they were with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, said former Democratic National Committee chairman Don Fowler, who now serves as the chairman of the Richland County Democratic Party. "There's much less chance there'll be a Kerry-alternative candidate than there would be a Dean-alternative candidate," Mr. Fowler said.

Although the Rev. Al Sharpton exceeded expectations with his third-place finish, his appeal to black voters was not enough to spoil the night of Mr. Edwards or Mr. Kerry.

Mr. Edwards claimed a majority in predominantly black Lowcountry and Midlands counties, an important showing in a state where blacks make up more than half of the Democratic vote, according to results posted by the South Carolina Democratic Party, which sponsored and ran Tuesday's election.

The youthful-looking North Carolinian, who played up the economic woes of a state that has seen massive job losses, combined this appeal with an ability to attract white voters in Upstate counties close to his birthplace of Seneca. This is the type of bi-racial appeal Democrats need in order to win the White House, said Mr. Botsch.

However, the same appeal was shown by Mr. Kerry in other states, indicating that both black and white Democrats are placing more of a premium on beating President Bush than racial or regional appeals.

In addition to Mr. Edwards, the South Carolina Democratic Party was also a winner because more than 237,000 voters showed up at the polls, Clemson University political science professor Bruce Ransom said.

Reach Jim Nesbitt at (803) 648-1395

or jim.nesbitt@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Wednesday, February 4, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle