Kerry, Edwards launch campaign

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and his just-named vice-presidential running mate John Edwards are scheduled to make their debut as a political team today at rallies in Ohio and Florida.

Today's events kick off a four-day campaign tour that also will take the candidates to New York, West Virginia, New Mexico and North Carolina.

In Utah, Democrats cheered Tuesday's announcement that Kerry had chosen Edwards, a North Carolina senator, as the party's vice-presidential nominee, saying he'll attract more support for the ticket — even in a state dominated by the GOP.

Not that anyone is predicting that Kerry will now win Utah this November. But the state's Democrats count on Edwards' optimism and populist outlook to sway at least some votes from President Bush.

Edwards already has fans in Utah. A week before he dropped out of the presidential race, Edwards finished second behind Kerry in Utah's Feb. 24 Democratic primary, with 30 percent of the vote compared to 55 percent for Kerry.

"It's the same thing that everybody else liked about him and why he came in second," said Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch, Kerry's spokesman in Utah. "This is a real popular choice."

Utah's state Democratic party chairman, Donald Dunn, said Edwards' working-class roots will appeal to voters here. Although he's a wealthy trial attorney, Edwards does not share Kerry's privileged background.

"People can certainly relate to John Edwards' upbringing," Dunn said. "Edwards went to public schools. He was the first person in his family to attend college. I think that there's a real comfort level that people can connect to John Edwards."

Hatch said Edwards' optimism and what he described as the candidate's "upwardly mobile populism" is what will win over voters in Utah as well as the rest of the United States, especially those who live outside major metropolitan areas.

"Edwards did better in rural Utah than he did along the Wasatch Front," Hatch said. "There is a sense that he will reach out to small-town, rural United States against John Kerry's big-city image."

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said Edwards' selection could help the party in Utah.

"In his Senate campaign, he proved that he is someone who can reach out to both Democrats and Republicans," Matheson said. "The fact that he is a guy who has successfully attracted support from both parties helps in Utah."