RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
With Barack Obama's win in Iowa last night, the political talk is shifting to the next contest in New Hampshire. And on the Democratic side, the attention is focused on the race between Senator Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. But Senator Clinton finished behind our next guest.
Former Senator John Edwards narrowly edged her out for second place in Iowa. And he's on the line now from New Hampshire. Good morning.
Mr. JOHN EDWARDS (Former Democratic Senator, North Carolina; Presidential Candidate): Good morning.
MONTAGNE: Moved pretty fast into New Hampshire, didn't you?
Mr. EDWARDS: Yes. Yes, we came directly from Iowa in the middle of the night and I got about an hour of sleep last night.
MONTAGNE: Well, you came in second, didn't win last night. Having lost in Iowa, having put in so much time and energy and money there, where must you finish in New Hampshire to stay alive in this race?
Mr. EDWARDS: What actually happened in Iowa is I was running against two celebrity candidates who raised over a hundred million dollars each. Both outspent - they outspent me 5- or 6-to-1 in Iowa. But still, I finished a strong second and beat Senator Clinton and the Clinton political machine.
So, I think, what it proves is - and this will happen in New Hampshire too -what it proves is people actually care what you stand for as oppose to how much money you raised and Iowa and in New Hampshire, what I stand for is fighting for the middle class and jobs and ending the corporate greed in America.
MONTAGNE: To the question, do you have a number there? How do you need to finish in New Hampshire to keep…
Mr. EDWARDS: I don't make those kinds of predictions. That's what you guys do. But what I do is I'm going to be here, fighting with every fiber of my being for the cause that I believe in. And this has never been about me, it's about what I believe and needs to happen in America for everybody to have a real chance.
MONTAGNE: Well, just one more moment on this. You've accepted public financing. Your rivals are better financed. Are you going to have enough money to wage a strong campaign through all of the contests, and that would include February 5th?
Mr. EDWARDS: We're not going to have an auction; we're going to have an election. People are going to decide who, actually, is ready to be president and who's willing to fight for them. Who's willing to fight for universal health care, to end global warming, for a tax and trade policy that's fair to all Americans, to bring the war to an end. I mean all of the things that really matter to America today.
And - I mean, listen, I started - I've known for a long time that I'm the little guy among the three of us. I don't have the glitz, I don't have the glamour. I don't have over a hundred million dollars, but I have plenty of money to be heard and what really matters is not money. What matters is principal and what you stand for and what your convictions are. And that's what's going to come through.
MONTAGNE: You know, one message that did come out of Iowa last night seemed to be that voters were rallying for change and optimism. Now one criticism that has been leveled at you in this campaign is that your message is too angry. What do you say to that?
Mr. EDWARDS: It's not true. I mean I'm enormously optimistic and what I think happened in Iowa was the two change candidates finished first and second. And the status quo candidate finished third.
Senator Clinton is the status quo, Senator Obama and I both believe in change. And what will happen in New Hampshire, in subsequent states, is now voters are going to be able to focus on the two of us and decide which one can best bring about change. And my own belief is that - Senator Obama has a different philosophy - is that you can't just negotiate with drug companies or oil companies. You have to actually be willing to take them on and challenge them, And I think we have a fight in front of us. And I think that choice will be very clear to voters in New Hampshire and to voters of subsequent states.
MONTAGNE: Just a last question, Senator, given you and your wife Elizabeth, have campaigned in spite of her illness, because the presidency would put you in a position to realize - both of your vision and your wife's vision of what this country should be - down the road, should it come to this, does that equation still hold for -or would that equation still hold for a vice presidential spot?
Mr. EDWARDS: No. As you know, I ran for vice president in 2004 and I'm focused now on becoming president of the United States and I believe I'm going to be successful.
MONTAGNE: Thank you very much for talking to us.
Mr. EDWARDS: Wonderful to talk to you. Thank you.
MONTAGNE: I hope you get a little rest there.
Mr. EDWARDS: Thanks, bye.
MONTAGNE: Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, now running for president who came in second in last night's Democratic caucuses in Iowa.