Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, stuck in neutral for several months, is gaining traction in South Carolina, his make-or-break state.

If he loses here, it's over for him.

South Carolina's first-in-the-South Democratic presidential primary is set for Feb. 3.

The upward movement in Edwards' numbers can be traced to the substantial television buy in the state's three major broadcast markets. The political ads, which have been running since Aug. 18, are designed to introduce the U.S. senator from North Carolina to independent and Democratic voters.

Two polls have shown Edwards picking up ground since his commercials began airing.

A survey conducted Aug. 18-29 by KPC Research for The Charlotte Observer/NBC6 showed a majority of Democrats in the Carolinas likely would vote for Edwards.

Sixty-two percent of Democrats and 42 percent of independents in both states said they were very or somewhat likely to vote for Edwards in the primary.

A poll taken by Zogby International Sept. 2-3 showed Edwards gaining ground in South Carolina and in a virtual tie for the lead with three other candidates: former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and U.S. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

The race, however, remains wide open. Forty-six percent of the voters in the Zogby poll are not sure yet which candidate to support.

Pollster John Zogby said Edwards' gain from the previous Zogby poll "is more like a bump on a carpet than a surge."

But Edwards will take it.

A fresh face on the political stage, Edwards is banking on his biography as a critical selling point. He was born in Seneca, where he lived until he was about 10. He was reared in the tiny town of Robbins, N.C., where his father was a textile worker for three decades and his mother worked in the post office. He was the first in his family to attend college.

While not as famous in presidential politicking as Iowa and New Hampshire, South Carolina is expected to play a critical role in nominating a Democrat to run against President Bush in 2004.

South Carolina will be shaped by the earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Edwards must win, place or show in those early contests to have momentum heading into the Palmetto State. Otherwise, he'll be sucking wind coming into a state he is supposed to own.

So far, Edwards is not doing all that well in Iowa, which holds its caucuses Jan. 19. Polls there show the Tar Heel trailing far behind. However, he is doing better in New Hampshire, where a new survey has him tied for third with Lieberman but still far behind Dean and Kerry.

Edwards' biggest challenge is to convince voters he can play on the international stage. To many, the freshman senator appears too inexperienced for the job.

Edwards recently conducted a bus tour across Iowa and New Hampshire. He was well received. In Iowa he picked up 210 endorsements. The tour also boosted attendance at his New Hampshire town meetings.

"That tour got people interested in John Edwards," campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said.

The purpose of it all was to boost Edwards' name identification and to get his message out to the voters.

The Edwards people here feel good about where the campaign is now.

"It'll take about eight weeks before all of this is reflected in the polls," Palmieri said.

Tuesday, Edwards will formally announce his candidacy in Robbins and at a rally on the USC in Columbia.

His campaign will be closely watched by the White House, which sees Edwards as the one Democrat who can take Bush on in some Southern states.

And history has shown Democrats can't win unless they take a Southern state or two.