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January 23, 2004/Tevet 29 5764, Vol. 56, No. 18
Edwards quietly gets support
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Sen. John Edwards may not have recognized the Hebrew aleph stitched onto James Dricker's cap, but he understood what was written in his heart.
Dricker, 55, the education director at Temple Israel in Portsmouth, N.H., says he was impressed with Edwards' sincerity after speaking with the North Carolina senator about health care, education and the environment.
"I don't vote Jewish," Dricker said after the get-together days before Christmas at the Friendly Toast restaurant. "I vote based on common sense and what is best for the country and ultimately for me."
Edwards is an exception in a presidential campaign marked by loud declarations of Jewish affinity. He has warm ties with Jews in his state, but he hasn't made an issue of it.
Edwards was a highly successful trial lawyer in North Carolina seven years ago when he sought a seat in the U.S. Senate and largely was able to self-finance his campaign.
That meant Edwards didn't spend as much time as other aspiring lawmakers courting support and dollars in the Jewish community, North Carolina Jewish activists said.
"He didn't seek out the Jewish community," unlike others who "go from can-didate event to candidate event begging for money," said Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrahi, a Democratic political con-sultant who ran for Congress in North Carolina in 1994.
Edwards nonetheless has earned the community's support. He has a solid record on Israel and emphasizes the issues that resonate with Jewish voters like Dricker: health, education and poverty.
Born in South Carolina on June 10, 1953, Edwards and his family soon moved to North Carolina, where he spent most of his childhood.
Edwards was the first in his family to go to college, grad-uating from North Carolina State University in 1974. He received a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977.
The death of Edwards' eldest son, Wade, at age 16 in a 1996 car accident, changed Edwards' life.
Edwards withdrew com-pletely for six months, friends said, and walked away from his law practice.
He wanted a larger mission, and chose to challenge incumbent Sen. Lauch Faircloth, a Republican.
"When he decided to run for political office, it made incredible sense to me because of his incredible talent to connect with people," said Bill Cassell, a longtime Edwards friend and former Jewish federation campaign chairman in Greensboro.
Randall Kaplan, a Greens-boro businessman who is a board member for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, remem-bers early meetings Edwards held with Jewish leaders in the community.
"When he first started considering the Senate race, he was a great listener," Kaplan said. "He was as knowledgeable as someone can get when they first run for office but didn't have first-hand experience."
"The one thing John didn't do was pander," Kaplan added.
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