New York, NY —

Senator John Edwards campaigns in Rochester tonight - his fourth straight day of New York campaign stops. His campaign now has the opportunity its been hungering for, to take on John Kerry, freed of much of the clutter of the Democratic field. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein has been on the trail with Edwards. She has this campaign notebook.

When John Edwards stands before the voters, he isn't shy about drawing comparisons between himself, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy

Edwards: What we believe -- what I believe is the family you were born into, the color of your skin, should never control what you are able to do. I can't change this country by myself..

It's a message that thrills Democratic audiences. At Columbia Unversity this week, undecided voter and business school student Skylar Hewer says she didn't expect to feel so uplifted by Edwards speech about two Americas.

Hewer: I was surprised by how moved I was by Edwards he makes we want to believe he makes me want to stand up and join the cause.

It's a reaction he gets across the state.

Voter: You're going to WIN!

At the Polish Cadets Hall in Buffalo Friday evening, hundreds of Democrats gathered to check out the one term senator, a former trial lawyer from North Carolina.

Voter: You are so awesome!

You are so awesome, a voter called out. Joel Myers of Buffalo was also enthusiastic:

Myers: He's our man! I was more or less going for Kerry, but I changed my mind now I thinking I'm going to go for him.

How long has Myers been an Edwards fan, he was asked?

Myers: Since tonight!

After an Edwards speech at Hofstra University on Long Island yesterday, teacher Andrea Lebresco said she's sticking with John Kerry, but she still came away impressed.

Lebresco: The democrats have a very deep roster of wonderful people who ought to beat Bush I think kerry can beat bush better than Edwards because of his military history and his true heroism instead of his phony heroism on the deck of a ship in his phony flight suit.

As for their positions on the issues, Lebresco says she's studied both Edwards and Kerry, and found them nearly identical. In fact, at Hofstra University, there were Kerry fans were impressed by Edwards, and Edwards fans who liked Kerry.

Retired civil servant Arthur Hollansid was brought to the Edwards speech by his daughter, a Kerry fan. But Hollinsed says he's leaning towards Edwards:

Hollinsed: I feel he's electable also.

Bernstein: What about Kerry, you think he's electable?

Hollinsed: It's going to be tough because some of stuff what is the man's name Karl Rove, his stuff is coming out against Kerry, so it's going to be very tight.

Indeed, some already see the hand of top Bush advisor Karl Rove at work. Republicans recently posted internet ads talking about Kerry's connection to some Washington lobbyists on their website.

This question of electibality is a tough one for Democrats. In the early rush of primary states, voters settled on the answer to that in John Kerry, the war-hero with 19 years experience in the Senate. But now some Democrats are taking another look, and think the fresh-faced charismatic speaker from the South, has the better chance. At Hofstra university, Nassau County legislator Craig Johnson introduced Edwards with an argument more and more Edwards fans are making.

Johnson: The fact is that John Edwards is the only one who can beat George Bush this fall. He's the only one who can get the Democratic support but more important as we all know living in Nassau County and in Suffolk County, you need to get the moderates, the independents and the moderate Republicans to join you in that fight.

Edwards is spending lots of time in New York State, particularly upstate, where jobs are moving out and the Edwards campaign feels their message is strong. But only 30 percent of voters are upstate, and some New York City reporters are already grumbling that Edwards isn't spending enough time with them.

As for the campaign itself, it has a scrappy, David versus goliath feel. Its campaign posters are hand drawn. Most of the important elected officials and unions in New York are behind Kerry - and with those endorsements come a battery of experienced operatives. There's a story Edwards likes to tell in his speeches, of the Mill workers son-turned lawyer who shows up in a courtroom facing a whole bench of what he calls experienced lawyers,

Edwards And they would look across the courtroom at me and they would say what is he doing here? You know, he thinks he belongs in the same courtroom as us? Well here's what happened I beat em and I beat em again...

Edwards hopes he can make his formula work here. Its one that's been repeated in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin - where the more voters see him, the more they like him. Where late debates and newspaper endorsements have gone his way. But top advisors concede - he no longer needs strong finishes - he needs wins.

Edwards: And one of the things you're going to get asked by your friends, is this the guy we've been looking for is this the guy who can beat Bush? The south is not George Bush's backyard it's my backyard! .You give me a shot at George Bush I will give you back the White House!

Thank you all very much! It's my honor to be here! Thank you!

Edwards ends every speech with the John Cougar Mellancamp song small town. But New York is no small town. In New Hampshire, Kerry won with tens of thousands of voters pulling the lever for him. In New York, there are five million registered democrats. And there's very little time and Ewdards almost no money for ads in this most expensive of media markets. For WNYC, I'm Andrea Bernstein

Joyce Kreisak of WBFO in Buffalo contributed to this report. Candidate John Kerry is scheduled to be Harlem and Jamaica Queens on Monday. The primary is March 2.