In most places around the country, John Edwards is running third for the Democratic nomination for president. But in Iowa its closer to a three way tie with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Team Edwards hopes their intense work in the state can spur a win on January 3 and catapult the lagging campaign into more serious contention.
In this conversation, Newsweek’s Suzanne Smalley discusses her cover story on Edwards, which focuses on some surprising elements of Edwards’s past.
“One thing we did find that hasn’t really been reported on much and is somewhat surprising because of his self crafted image of looking out for the little guy is that he really did almost no pro bono work as a trial lawyer,” Smalley says.
More flattering are reports of his high school leadership to improve race relations and his talents as an athlete.
“He was a good enough football player to go to Clemson and make the team,” Smalley says. Edwards went to Clemson largely to please his father but when he failed to earn a football scholarship and couldn’t afford tuition he transferred out without making much of a mark. “None of the coaches remembered him. Players I talked to remembered him as very quiet and withdrawn…It was definitely not one of the better times of his life,” Smalley says. “He of course—being Edwards—immediately bounced back and transferred to N.C. State and did fine.”
