Edwards campaign ads to begin airing in Ohio

He expects to do well in the Buckeye State, his state campaign chairman says.
COLUMBUS -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is unleashing television ads today in Ohio, the same day the North Carolina senator is to finish a two-day campaign swing through the Buckeye State.
He was in Cleveland on Saturday and was to appear in Columbus, Niles and Youngstown today.
In Ohio, the Edwards campaign is to air political ads called "American Jobs" and "Two Americas."
"The ads highlight Senator Edwards' background and his commitment to creating an America that works for all of us," the Edwards campaign said in a prepared statement.
"The state of Ohio is one of those states that we absolutely have to do well in," said Chris Redfern, Edwards' state campaign chairman who also is the Ohio House minority leader. "We expect to do well."
Redfern said he expected the ads to run statewide. Edwards' campaign officials declined to say how much they spent on production or how much they cost to air.
The ads are running as Ohio and nine other states prepare for primary elections and caucuses on March 2.
The commercials
The ad the Edwards campaign calls "Two Americas" seems to portray a divide between the rich and the poor in the United States, according to transcripts.
In the spot, Edwards for some of the ad appears on one screen while pictures of what appear to be hospitals, classrooms and other scenes flash on a second screen.
"It seems today we have two Americas," Edwards says in the ad. "With two health-care systems ... one for the privileged; another rationed by insurance companies. Two public school systems ... one for the haves and one for everybody else," Edwards continues. "Two tax systems ... where the wealthy and corporations pay less; working families pay more. Two governments ... one for powerful interests and lobbyists; the other for the rest of us," Edwards says in the ad.
The ad closes by Edwards saying: "I'm John Edwards. And I approved this message because together you and I can change America and make it work for all of us."
In "American Jobs," Edwards appears for some of the spot in one screen while photos of what appear to be industrial areas and other photos flash by on a second screen.
"It's easy for candidates to talk about manufacturing and jobs," Edwards says in the ad. "But, I've lived it and I have not forgotten it. My Dad worked in the textile mills to put food on our table and clothes on our backs," Edwards continues.
"Today, the mills are gone. And so are the jobs. That's why I opposed NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement] and why I'll end tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas," Edwards says. "I'm John Edwards and I approved this message because no one will do more than I will to keep American jobs right here in America. That's something you can count on."