Quotes of the Day

Sunday morning, Edwards engaged in a staple of Southern Democrat stumping — he went to church. The Bible Way Church of Atlas Road just outside Columbia has almost 7,000 members, most of them black, and they welcomed Edwards as an honored guest. The Senator sat in the second row as Pastor Darrell Jackson informed his parishoners that he could not endorse any candidate, but he could tell them that he personally was voting for Edwards. In his dramatic sermon, titled "A World of Possibilities," he preached that God has opened the door to whatever we want, provided we are bold enough to ask, while the choir ecstatically sang behind him and parishoners lifted their hands toward heaven. As an example, he said, "A boy born in Seneca, South Carolina in a mill village can grow up to be President of the United States ... It don't matter what the polls say, it don't matter what the pundits say." Edwards was undoubtedly saying Amen.

Monday night, just twelve hours before the polls closed, Edwards made an even more poignant homecoming by returning to Seneca, where 50 years ago his father took out a loan to pay the hospitals bills so he could bring his newborn son home to a two-room house. Edwards still has relatives in Seneca, and the homecoming was obviously emotional for him. His voice was almost gone after months of stumping, but his face spread in a wide grin not seen since his surprise surge in Iowa. Looking over the crowd of South Carolinians, it was suddenly obvious who Edwards was talking about when he speaks of decent, hardworking folk, the other America he accuses George W. Bush of ignoring. But today, as the polls open, will that America give Edwards a big win?

• Mitch Frank