Following his third place finish in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, John Edwards left the snowy landscape of the Granite State for the warmth of South Carolina—the state where he was born and one that he carried in the 2004 Democratic primary. Addressing a crowd of over 1,000 at an outdoor rally at Clemson University on Wednesday, Edwards pledged to continue his race for the White House with the promise of restoring the middle class.

He spoke at length about his Southern upbringing. With several of his family members present, Edwards described his childhood growing up “in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, in mill towns, in mill villages,” and added that he understood the problems facing the South “in a very personal way.”

”What I learned growing up here, is you don’t start a fight, but you never walk away from one,” Edwards said to the crowd of mostly college students. “The fight to restore the promise of America and save the middle class will be an epic battle — but I will never give up.”

Calling himself the underdog, Edwards made clear that only one percent of Americans have voted, and said that his message “cuts right through all the money” of the “two celebrity candidates”—alluding to senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

“Listen, no matter what the media says, so far there have been two contests,” he added towards the end of his speech. “Two states—Iowa, where I finished second, and New Hampshire, where I finished third. There are 48 states left to go, and your voice here in South Carolina is gonna be heard.”

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Bedford, NH

Governor Romney had a packed day today filled with greeting voters at polling stations and scrambling for those last minute votes. Keep reading for the voting day play by play:

Manchester, NH
7:05AM

His first stop was with his wife Ann and Senator Judd Gregg at 7AM. He missed Governor Huckabee by moments at the Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester. Most people seemed eager to shake the presidential hopeful’s hand, but one man yelled hello to the governor saying it was nice to see him but adding, “I can’t help ya!”

Romney told the press that his campaign had made 100,000 calls in the last day and believes he is going to take it all:

“We are going to end up winning this thing and for that matter that will mean that I have gotten more votes than anybody else in this process so far with Iowa, Wyoming, and New Hampshire. So we are on to Michigan after success here tonight.”

Bedford, NH
7:50AM

Romney made his 2nd stop at Bedford High School. He again greeted voters going to the polls and stayed positive saying that this is a 50 state game and that he beat McCain in Iowa and Wyoming and he could beat him here.

A great example of New Hampshire retail politics happened when a man walked by Romney and said, “You’re a good guy, but you call my house way too much!”

Just another presidential candidate in the first primary state of New Hampshire!

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Number three was the Broad Street Elementary School and it was a mob scene of media, supporters, and of course voters trying to get through.

A loud group of McCain supporters hollered, “The McCain Way!” and “100 feet! 100 feet!” A reference to how far away Romney had to stay away from the polling location. Romney supporters chimed in with, “Let’s go Mitt!” And “We love Mitt!” He tried to greet voters and take pictures, but it was almost impossible with the media hoard.

He gave an update on how he was feeling, lowering expectations just a bit:

“At this stage I feel awfully darn good. I can’t guarantee what is going to happen. I would like to win here. I would like to get the gold here.”

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Speaking before a crowd of John Edwards supporters at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire, Hilda Sarkisyan recalled the sweet sixteen party she threw for her daughter Nataline—the California teenager who died three weeks ago after a drawn out dispute with her insurance company over who would pay for her liver transplant.

There is perhaps no other candidate in the 2008 presidential campaign who has relied so heavily upon the presence of ordinary citizens—whose lives represent extraordinary hardship—like John Edwards. Individuals like James Lowe, Sandy Lakey, Doug Bishop and, most recently, Hilda Sarkisyan, have accompanied Edwards to numerous events to speak out on his behalf. Their personal stories differ dramatically, yet to Edwards they share a common struggle: they are powerful symbols of the working middle class’ battle to end corporate greed and indifference. And their testimonials are a critical component of his campaign.

In his final sprint before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, Edwards embarked on his second “36-hour Marathon for the Middle Class”—this time visiting various cities in the Granite State to speak to voters. Accompanied by the Sarkisyan family, Edwards said the “real underdog” in this election is the working middle class family.

But Edwards’ use of Nataline Sarkisyan’s story on the campaign trail was met with criticism by some—in particular, Clinton’s traveling press secretary, Jay Carson, who yesterday told reporters, “in order to be President, you need to do more than read articles about people who need help and talk about them.” Senator Clinton is “somebody who’s actually going to help people and not use them as talking points.”

In response to Carson’s remarks, Edwards said the Clinton campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

Below is Edwards’ latest “Underdog” television ad currently running in New Hampshire:

Responding to a remark by a Clinton aide belittling his use of Nataline Sarkisyan as a victim of corporate indifference, John Edwards said Hillary Clinton’s campaign “has no conscience.”

Seventeen-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan died on December 20, 2007, while waiting for a liver transplant that her insurance company initially refused to pay for, arguing the surgery was “too experimental.” After protests from hospital staff and Sarkisyan’s family, CIGNA Insurance Company agreed to the operation, but the girl died shortly after they reversed their decision. For Edwards, Sarkisyan’s death has become a symbol of the working middle class struggle against corporate control. Her family asked to join him in New Hampshire.

But today the Clinton campaign criticized Edwards for including Sarkisyan’s story in his campaign. Clinton’s traveling press secretary, Jay Carson, told reporters, “in order to be President, you need to do more than read articles about people who need help and talk about them.” Senator Clinton is “somebody who’s actually going to help people and not use them as talking points.”

At a media availability in Keene, New Hampshire, Edwards responded to those remarks:

“It’s an indication that they have no conscience about what’s at stake here,” he said. “This is not about them. It’s about families like the Sarkisyans…the Lowes…the Lakeys, who desperately need a voice. That’s who it’s about.”

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The dispute came one day after the ABC News/Facebook Presidential debates in which both Edwards and Clinton shared a heated exchange over who among the Democratic candidates were agents of change.

Looking to gain more traction after his second place in Iowa, Edwards said during the debate that he and Senator Obama were the only candidates who stood for bringing about meaningful change, noting “we finished first and second in the Iowa caucus, I think in part as a result of that.”

Alluding to Senator Clinton, Edwards said, “Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of status quo attack. That’s exactly what happens.”

Edwards’ words prompted a fierce response from Senator Clinton, who disagreed with his premise, saying that she represents both change and experience.

“I want to make change, but I’ve already made change. I will continue to make change. I’m not just running on a promise of change. I’m running on 35 years of change,” she said, while citing her work on specific legislation.

“I think I am the agent of change,” she continued. “I think that having a woman President is a huge change.”

Presidential hopeful John Edwards placed second in Iowa—a state where he had invested much time, visiting all 99 counties twice in his bid for the presidency.

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting Thursday evening, Barack Obama had 38 percent of the vote while John Edwards had 30 percent and Hillary Clinton had 29 percent.

“The status quo lost and change won,” Edwards said to supporters at the Renaissance Savery Hotel in downtown Des Moines following news of Obama’s victory. He restated his populist message of ending corporate greed and fighting for the middle class, and added that “this march of change continues on.”

The senator also said that a candidate’s message meant more to voters than the amount of money he or she has raised. “We saw two candidates who thought their money would make them inevitable,” he said—alluding to rivals Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney.

Elizabeth Edwards echoed her husband’s sentiments. She called him a “messenger of change” and said that “despite the fact that he was outspent 6 to 2, that message still got through.”

As he left the stage, Edwards shouted, “there is an energy and momentum behind this campaign that cannot be stopped,” which prompted chants of “Go John Go!” from supporters.

For the past 36 nonstop hours, Democratic candidate John Edwards barnstormed around the state of Iowa in his final sprint before the Iowa caucuses. For each hour during Edwards’ “Marathon for the Middle Class,” he discussed one specific policy initiative—a total of 36 steps he’ll take to strengthen the middle class if elected President.

As he visited 15 Iowa counties in the wee hours of the night, Edwards stopped at the homes of local supporters to speak out for the working middle class and boost his campaign’s momentum. He was accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, and oldest daughter, Cate.

12:30 AM—Atlantic, Iowa

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2:30 AM—Creston, Iowa

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So what was it like to spend 36 straight hours with the Senator? In our 29th hour, Edwards surprised the entire press corps when he hopped on board our bus to hand out cups of coffee to reporters. He poked fun at some of us for looking tired (a remark he later joked he would regret). Not a coffee drinker, he said he was fueling himself with Sprite.

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Edwards’ marathon campaign run climaxed in its 36th hour at a concert featuring singer-songwriter, John Mellencamp, in West Des Moines.

In his final thrust before the Iowa caucuses, John Edwards stopped at his local campaign office in Mason City, Iowa, to wish his supporters a “Happy New Year” and continue firing up the base.

The crowd, swarming around the “Mainstreet Express” bus as it pulled up to the door, chanted, “We love Elizabeth! We love John! We wanna see them on the White House lawn!”

After making his way inside, the Senator stood up on a chair to address the packed crowd of supporters.

“We need you every step of the way,” he said. “Now is not the time to let up on the gas peddle. Now is the time to push the peddle to the floor.”

This remark, of course, got quite a chuckle from the national press corps. Our media van was pulled over for speeding along an Iowa highway in its rush to make it to the event on time.

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At a campaign stop in Emmetsburg, Iowa, on Monday, a man raised his hand and told John Edwards that Michelle Obama said he was a great candidate, but couldn’t win because he didn’t have enough money. Mrs. Obama’s remark, he said, was made at an event in Pocahontas, Iowa.

The man’s account—though not confirmed—elicited a strong response from the Senator.

“We’re not going to have an auction in Iowa, we’re going to have an election,” he said. “I just want to say how unbelievably weak it is to be arguing that you should be the candidate because you have more money than the other candidate.”

Edwards continued to chastise those who divert attention from the issues and focus only on a candidate’s war chest. Yet, fair or not, his campaign financing has become the subject of debate among political strategists, who question whether or not he can compete effectively in the larger state primaries. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama reached $27,859,861 and $21,343,292 in the third quarter, respectively—and are expected to have each raised over $100 million by the year’s end on their presidential campaigns. Edwards, whose campaign is publicly financed, raised $7,157,233 in the third quarter, and is expected to close the year with about $44 million.

“When you’re resorting to arguments about how much money somebody has, you’re in a bad place,” he said. “When I win the Iowa caucuses, the money will pour in. It’s how it always works.”

Offering a final exclamation mark, Elizabeth Edwards, who was seated directly behind him, stood up and took the microphone.

“You may not be surprised,” she said to her husband, “but I am surprised and disappointed in Michelle.”

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KEOKUK, IA –For the second day in a row, Hillary Clinton criticized John Edwards’ heated anti-corporate message without saying his name — arguing that instead of “yelling and screaming,” a leader should expend that energy actually making change.

After chastising Edwards and Barack Obama for focusing too much on each other (”My two leading opponents are spending a lot of time right now talking about each other. I’m going to keep talking about the people of Iowa and the people of America”), Clinton claimed she won’t just talk about fighting special interests, she’ll beat them.

“You know, these are great applause lines and speeches and people get really excited, because we all know the power has shifted way too much to the wealthy and the well-connected. And we’ve got to bring that power back.  But I submit to you there isn’t anybody running who’s taken on more special interests and gotten more done and survived the incoming fire than I have.”

“It’s easy to talk about taking on special interests,” she said. But, “you don’t need to do by yelling and screaming. Save your energy, get the job done.”

“Instead of generating like a lot of heat, rolling your hands and jumping up and down,  let’s just sit down and figure out and figure out how we’re going to beat ‘em. “

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IOWA FALLS, IA — Senator Clinton told the crowd at the local elementary school here in Iowa Falls that fighting the special interests is great, but that the fight is worthless without results.

“We have to have a president who’s willing to take on those interests, and who’s able to really go toe-to-toe with them but to do it in a smart way,” she said. “A fight for the sake of a fight is not productive. A fight to actually change things and get results is.”

The line, which doesn’t usually appear in her speeches, can be read as a jab at John Edwards — who appears to have the momentum in Iowa.  His populist speeches are chock-full of aggressive language about taking on special interests that seems to resonate on the stump. By one reporter’s count, Edwards said the word “fight” 39 times at a town hall meeting at the Giggling Goat restaurant in Boone.

But Clinton has been arguing to Iowa caucus goers argues that she’s the only candidate with a proven track record of achieving results in those fights. Earlier in the day, she said told the crowd in Cedar Falls that her campaign was about “laying the ground work” to get people prepared to stand up to special interests. “That’s what I’ve been doing for years,” she said. “I don’t just talk about the special interests and reining them in, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

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