http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20040221/ap_on_el_pr/edwardsHEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Trying to position himself as an alternative to the front-runner, John Edwards (news - web sites) is focusing his effort to win the Democratic presidential nomination in regions that have lost manufacturing jobs.
In the days leading up to the March 2 primaries, Edwards is emphasizing that he's a southerner who understands racial divisions. He also is making a sharply populist pitch on tightening trade rules to appeal to displaced workers who blame companies for shipping jobs overseas.
With that pitch, Edwards thinks he can appeal to voters in Maryland, big swatches of upstate New York, and in Ohio and Georgia. He also plans to court voters on Long Island, seeking support from suburbanites with whom he ran well in the Wisconsin primary.
"There are places where segments of the population will find that particularly important to them," said Edwards.
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