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A former volunteer for John Edwards says he couldn't overcome the star power of U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Linda Gunter, a retired social studies teacher from Cary, volunteered for Edwards in New Hampshire for a month in 2004 and a week in 2008. She said his campaign was much better organized and his platform better detailed the second time. 

"I was so proud of him in New Hampshire because he was the only candidate who had a book on all of his issues, had things really well thought-out," she told Dome. "It was just like he was overwhelmed by the star power of Obama and Clinton."

Gunter, 58, who now works as a legislative liaison for the N.C. Association of Educators, organized poll workers, talked with parents picking up their kids at school, made phone calls to supporters and worked the polls in 17-degree weather.

She said she was disappointed about Edwards' decision, but she hopes he could have a future in the Cabinet of a Democratic president, but she says he could continue working on poverty.

"He can still talk about those things as a private citizen," she said. 

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards will focus his campaign dollars, staffers and personal visits on 10 of the 22 states coming up in next week’s Super Tuesday primary.

A few other states will see resources in key congressional districts, but overall, Edwards’ campaign strategists want to continue the delegate-gathering journey that they see as their best hope for winning the Democratic presidential nomination, reports Barb Barrett.

“If we can compete (in the 10 focus states) and be viable in the remaining 12 states, than we’re going to have a very good day on Feb. 5,” said David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager.

Read more after the jump.

Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts gave a shout-out to two Senate colleagues in not endorsing them for president this afternoon. Kennedy, a scion of liberal Democrats, instead endorsed Sen. Barack Obama.

In his speech moments ago, he described Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards as friends and praised their work in the Senate.

Kennedy also said this of the populist from North Carolina: "John Edwards has been a powerful advocate for social and economic justice."

John Edwards' four-state strategy never took off.

After successive losses in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the Democratic presidential candidate's initial plan to build momentum for Super Tuesday has fallen apart.

His campaign and supporters say they are now moving to Plan B: A marathon run to the convention hoping that one of the two frontrunners, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, falters.

In the worst-case scenario, they say Edwards could be a power broker, putting a focus on his issues in exchange for his delegates.

And they argue that in a year in which John McCain went from frontrunner to politically dead and back means that anything could happen. (N&O) 

John Edwards continues to be on the rise in South Carolina, at least according to the Zogby poll.

The latest numbers from the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll show that the gap between Edwards and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to narrow as Democratic voters prepare to go to the polls tomorrow.

The latest numbers, from a tracking poll of 811 likely Democratic voters conducted Jan. 22-24, show Clinton at 25 percent and Edwards at 21 percent. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama continues to be out front with 38 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Tim Boyum thinks Democrats may be fighting over minor differences.

In a post on his Political Connections blog, the News 14 Carolina reporter writes that the Republican candidates for president have much different plans, but are fighting more polite campaigns.

Meantime, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who are closer on policy, have been fighting hard.

They're not the only ones, Boyum writes:

In North Carolina's race for governor, there are clear differences with the Republicans yet they do little bickering with each other in the press (although that appears to be changing a bit). On the Democratic side, they have very similar beliefs yet spend most of their time arguing in the press about a theater that sits in a rural county that many voters probably don't even know exists. That campaign is close to getting nasty.

Boyum is in South Carolina reporting on the primary.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has his turn with David Letterman tonight, and he won't let the talk show host mess with his hair.

Obama is scheduled to appear tonight on the "Late Show with David Letterman" to present the show's famous Top Ten list.

The show was taped this afternoon, though, and after Obama presented the Top Ten Barack Obama Campaign Promises (No. 8 - Appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin' good. No. 3. I'll find money in the budget to buy Letterman a decent hairpiece.), Letterman wished him good luck with the campaign.

"Thank you so much, David, but you can't muss my hair," Obama said, according to a release by the show.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was more accommodating during an appearance on the show earlier this week.

The Zogby poll now says things are looking a little better for John Edwards in South Carolina.

The latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll shows that Edwards numbers are moving up, although he remains in third place in South Carolina's Democratic primary race behind Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But Edwards has narrowed the gap between him and Clinton, with his numbers now coming in at 19 percent and Cllinton's at 24 percent. The previous poll this week put Edwards at 15 percent and Clinton at 25 percent.

Obama was the choice of 39 percent of 811 likely Democratic voters in the latest poll, from Jan. 21-23. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Carter Wrenn says John Edwards could have another Senate run in him.

The Republican political consultant writes on Talking About Politics that Edwards has the national stature and fundraising ability to go up against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole this fall.

Suddenly, we go from having an unknown state Senator and gay investment banker running against Elizabeth Dole to having the best candidate in North Carolina. 

(Note: Wrenn is writing as he imagines a Democrat would talk.)

He also says a win against Dole would burnish his political reputation after losing to John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

At the least, it would turn the Senate election from "somnambulant to riveting," he says. 

The latest poll out of South Carolina does not bode well for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

A telephone poll this week of likely Democratic voters in South Carolina found that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama enjoys a comfortable lead just days before Saturday's primary. The numbers in the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll:

Obama - 43 percent

Clinton - 24 percent

Edwards - 15 percent

The poll of 811 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted Jan. 20-22 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.