Edwardses plan news conference

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Wednesday visited the doctor with his wife, Elizabeth, who is recovering from breast cancer. His campaign said that they would hold a news conference in their hometown today to discuss her health.

The campaign refused to answer any questions about what the couple learned at the doctor’s appointment or how it might affect his candidacy. Edwards had cut short a trip to Iowa on Tuesday night to be with his wife Wednesday but still attended a barbecue fundraiser later in the evening in their hometown of Chapel Hill, N.C.

The campaign had said that Elizabeth Edwards had a follow-up appointment to a routine test she had Monday. The campaign explained that she had similar follow-ups in the past but they always resulted in a clean bill of health.

The campaign refused to elaborate Wednesday. Family friends said Wednesday night that they didn’t know of any new complications to her health.

“Her health has been so good for so long,” said Kate Michelman, an Edwards advisor who was planning to work closely with Elizabeth Edwards to appeal to female voters throughout the country.

The candidate’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in the final days of the 2004 campaign, when her husband was the Democratic vice presidential nominee. He announced the diagnosis the day after he and presidential nominee Sen. John F. Kerry lost the election.

Elizabeth Edwards wrote about her life, including her breast cancer treatment that included chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, in a book published last year called “Saving Graces.”

The Edwardses have been married nearly 30 years and had four children. Their oldest, Wade, died in a car accident in 1996.