John Edwards helps Democrats in Oklahoma, touts poverty plan

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, whose rural roots and blue-collar background resonated with Oklahoma voters during last year's presidential primary, returned to

Sunday, May 15th 2005, 11:57 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, whose rural roots and blue-collar background resonated with Oklahoma voters during last year's presidential primary, returned to the state on Saturday to address the Oklahoma Democratic Party's state convention.

During an afternoon press conference, Edwards touted his plans to fight poverty and help energize local Democrats in state races, but stopped short of shedding light on his own future political plans.

When asked whether he plans to seek the presidential nomination in 2008, he said his first priority is to support his wife, Elizabeth, in her battle with breast cancer.

``My plan is to get Elizabeth well right now, and that's the most important thing.

``We'll just see down the road where that leads me.''

During the Democratic presidential primary in 2004, Edwards visited Oklahoma more than a dozen times and ultimately finished second in the state, about 1,200 votes behind retired Gen. Wesley Clark of Arkansas.

Since the 2004 election, Edwards helped launch the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and said he plans to focus his efforts on fighting poverty across the nation. He met early Saturday with representatives from the Community Action Agency, a local program that helps the poor in Oklahoma and Canadian counties.

``That's really the cause of my life right now, in addition to getting my wife well,'' he said.

Edwards also said he plans to help Democratic candidates in Oklahoma for local, state and federal offices by appealing to voters on a grass-roots level.

``I think it's important for the Democrats to quit having things run out of Washington, D.C., and instead build this party ... from the ground up,'' he said. ``A lot of folks out here in the world, whether it's in Oklahoma or North Carolina, know better what needs to be done in their state than people out of Washington.''

Oklahoma Democrats suffered in the 2004 elections, losing control of the Oklahoma House to Republicans for the first time in more than 80 years. Democrats also lost seats in the Oklahoma Senate, and will lose many popular incumbents in 2006 due to term limits.

But Edwards expressed optimism that Democrats can revitalize the party both in Oklahoma and nationally by presenting strong leaders with convictions.

``I think the key for the Democratic Party nationally is to stand up for our core convictions and things that we believe in, which means standing up for people who struggle and work hard for a living, making clear to folks that we're going to fight for them and stand up for them,'' he said.

Jay Parmley, outgoing chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said he thinks Edwards will be a tremendous help to Oklahoma Democrats in upcoming elections.

``Of course it will be of great benefit to us in 2006, and I would venture to guess it will be helpful to Senator Edwards in 2008,'' Parmley said. ``So, it's a win-win situation.''