Edwards makes first trip to Iowa as V-P candidate

The man Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s picked to be his runningmate will make a return trip to Iowa this Wednesday. North Carolina Senator John Edwards traveled and campaigned with Kerry last week after Kerry announced Edwards was his choice for a runningmate. This week Edwards will strike out on his own to visit states where the Bush/Kerry race is tight. Iowa is considered one of those “battleground” states, and the Kerry campaign is planning a lunch-time event in Des Moines to showcase Edwards. Edwards finished second — behind Kerry — in the Iowa Caucuses this past January. About 70 percent of the Iowans who went to the Democratic Party’s Caucuses here voted for either Kerry or Edwards. Late last month, Edwards was back in Iowa to speak at a party fundraiser. This time, there’ll be no charge for an Edwards viewing, but party officials plan to issue tickets.