“Picking up steam”: Edwards supporters express hope for campaign

Supporters of former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., gathered in Golden Valley Thursday night to watch returns from the Iowa caucuses, and were generally upbeat about the future of the Edwards campaign.

“Unless he comes in 20 [percentage] points behind, the campaign will go on,” said Laura Nevitt of Minnesota for Edwards. “The campaign is picking up steam, and his message is starting to resonate.”

Former DFL state Sen. Ted Mondale agreed.

“I feel like he’s catching fire at the right time,” Mondale said, though he declined to predict the ultimate outcome of the night’s caucuses.

“I don’t predict caucuses,” Mondale said, though he allowed that he thought Edwards would do well.

Edwards ultimately finished second in the caucuses with 30 percent of the vote, eight percentage points behind Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.  But Edwards will face an uphill battle in the next two major tests in New Hampshire and South Carolina.  Edwards trails in both races.