Ohio will make or break the Edwards campaign says Columbus' Other Paper

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http://www.theotherpaper.com/substory2.html

An Ohio Poll conducted from Jan. 30 to Feb. 10 showed Edwards far behind Kerry—13 percent to 45 percent among Ohio Democrats—but he was well back in Wisconsin before closing to within 6 points in Tuesday's primary vote. Edwards's Ohio chairman thinks the campaign now has new life.

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But while Edwards has outlasted Kerry's other major challengers, he could be hurt here by a minor candidate who happens to live in the state.

Though he hasn't been much of a factor in other states' primaries, Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland could cut into Edwards's Ohio support. Last week's Ohio Poll put Kucinich at 7 percent—not a lot, but enough to make the difference in a close race.

And Kucinich's votes appear more likely to come out of Edwards's hide. Edwards gained traction in Wisconsin in part by highlighting his opposition to NAFTA, which Kerry supported. Opposition to international trade agreements is one of Kucinich's signature issues.

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1. Does Ohio have an open or closed primary?

Some of Edwards' WI success was due to some Republicans voting in WI's "open primary", which allowed any registered voter to vote in the Democratic Primary. That could make a difference, albeit a small one.

But then again, six weeks ago everybody thought Dean was the nominee. Go figure.

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2. Ohio has a closed primary.