Edwards Very Much in the Thick of Things

From The Nation -- Three new polls from early caucus and primary states suggest that John Edwards, who has had a rough couple of months as a candidate, remains very much in the race for the Democratic nomination for president.

In Iowa, the first caucus state, an American Research Group survey of likely caucus-goers has Edwards at 27 percent. Hillary Clinton is next with 23 percent, followed by Barack Obama at 19 percent, Joe Biden at 6 percent, Bill Richardson at 5 percent, and Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich.

In New Hampshire, the first primary state, an ARG poll has Clinton leads with 37 percent. But Edwards is next with a solid 26 percent. Obama has dropped back to 14 percent, while Richardson, Biden, Kucinich and Dodd are all at 3 percent or less.

In South Carolina, another early primary state, ARG's got Clinton at 26, Obama at 24, and Edwards at a respectable 18 percent. Everyone else is at 3 percent or below. Those numbers represent fall backs from several recent polls for both Clinton and Obama, while Edwards has strengthened following last week's debate in the state.

For Edwards, who has been battered in recent weeks by bad news about his wife's health and campaign missteps such as his costly haircut, the poll numbers represent very good news. They suggest that, despite challenges for his campaign, Edwards continues to enjoy some success in his effort to make himself the clearest progressive alternative to Clinton among the front runners.

Obviously, Clinton remains ahead, while Obama is very much in the competition -- even if those New Hampshire numbers have to be disappointing for the Illinoisan. But these numbers suggest that this is far from a Clinton-Obama race.

Edwards, who some had begun trying to count out of the competition, is actually in the states that, for better or worse, are likely to set the parameters of the 2OO8 Democratic competition going into the February 5 "super" primary voting in multiple states.

That a positive development for everyone who wants a race where ideas -- and Edwards has been the most serious policy-pusher among the major candidates so far -- remain in play and, potentially, definitional.

also this article from the Washington Post