Edwards Calls Upbeat Message the Difference

Sen. John Edwards entered the hotel ballroom at 9:30 p.m. like a prizefighter, walking along a 30-foot catwalk in front of several hundred supporters while pumping his fists into the air and grabbing at outstretched hands as though they were religious offerings.

The room had all the energy of a victory dance, never mind that Edwards didn’t win. When you’re expected to fail, coming close can be good enough.

Edwards, who doggedly followed a strategy of disengagement from his Democratic rivals, reveled in his second-place finish at a celebration in a ballroom of the Renaissance Savery Hotel here. The North Carolina senator described his success as an affirmation of his positive approach to the campaign.

“I came here a year ago with the belief that we could change this country, with the belief that the politics of what was possible, the politics of hope, could overcome the politics of cynicism,” Edwards told supporters. “The people of Iowa tonight confirmed that they believe in a positive, uplifting vision to change America.”

Going into caucus night, Edwards could already claim a partial victory based on the last-minute surge of interest that propelled him in the last two weeks from political irrelevance to the national spotlight.

“Edwards has vastly exceeded expectations and finally hit the radar screen of national attention. He now is seen as a player,” said Dennis Goldford, chairman of the political science department at Drake University in Des Moines. “It gives him a boost.”

Edwards said his success was “not an accident. I think it will propel us going into New Hampshire and subsequent states.”

Edwards’ challenge now is to try to prove that the strong finish was not a fluke, a function of an electorate that turned to Edwards’ positive campaign out of pique at the negative tones from many of his rivals.

Edwards has raised about $20 million, while Dean has raised more than $40 million and Kerry more than $28.5 million. The Edwards campaign declined to say how much money remained after the Iowa caucuses, which are labor-intensive and expensive. But spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said Edwards, who is operating under the restrictions of the federal matching-fund program, budgeted $20 million through the Feb. 3 primaries and caucuses.

Edwards, who flew to New Hampshire late Monday, plans to spend most of this week campaigning there. He will attend a fundraiser tonight in New York City and spend a day campaigning in South Carolina later in the week.

Edwards had only four years in the Senate -- and one political campaign -- behind him when he announced a year ago that he was running for president. Any political campaign involves a mix of strategy, calculated gambles and a reliance on unforeseen events tumbling your way.

Edwards’ staffers said their game plan in Iowa was to quietly stitch together a network of supporters, while slowly increasing his name recognition through relentless campaigning. Edwards visited all 99 Iowa counties.

The hope was to have the groundwork in place to build momentum in the last week or two and finish high enough -- a “competitive fourth” -- to propel efforts in New Hampshire, where Edwards also hopes to do well before heading to South Carolina, Oklahoma and five other states holding contests Feb. 3.