John Edwards, who won the South Carolina primary in 2004 but has been trailing in most polls for 2008, will by endorsed by Columbia's Mayor and an array of state and local officials today. Aaron Gould Sheinin reports for The State:

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble and more than 20 other state and local elected officials today will endorse John Edwards' bid for the Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nomination, giving the S.C. native's campaign a boost in counties across the state.

In addition to Coble, state senators and representatives and county and city leaders, Edwards has picked up the endorsement of party activists such as Ronnie Maxwell of Aiken, a former state Democratic Party chairman, and Katie Fowler of Charleston, former president of the S.C. Young Democrats.

"We're proud of the broad base of support that Sen. Edwards has in the state," Edwards spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said. "This endorsement list speaks to his popularity across the state and to the strong base that helped him win in 2004 and is going to help him win in 2008."

The whole story is at the link above. Edwards faces an uphill struggle in South Carolina this time around. In 2004, the race had already devolved to a choice between him and John Kerry, and even Democrats in SC are leery of Bostonian accents. Now he must face strong opposition from both Hillary and Obama, who have attracted wide support among the state's Democrats.

For Edwards, Iowa and SC are make-or-break states. He has a stellar organization in Iowa which he has been nurturing and building since early 2003. He needs to hold second place there, at the very least, and win South Carolina outright in order to have any realistic chance at the nomination.

While other candidates like Obama or Richardson could easily accept the Vice-Presidential nomination, Edwards has been there and done that - rather poorly, too, if you listen to the Kerry people. He lacks Obama's political future or Richardson's resume; he must either win the nomination next year or face political oblivion.

Oblivion isn't so bad, of course. Edwards has millions in contingency fees stashed away and a house big enough to store a small fleet of aircraft, and his heart was never really in politics, anyway. The full-length mirrors decorating his mansion may not be as sexy as the flashing lights and clicking cameras of the campaign, but he can stop and stare at them several times a day and say, "Pretty boy!"