 Finally, the Edwards campaign staked much of their campaign on South Carolina, a state in which the Senator won in 2004 with 45% of the vote, and the state in which he had been born.After a praised debate performance during the Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach shortly before the South Carolina Primary, Edwards began to see a last minute surge shortly before the contest.During the conclusion of a last minute surge the week before the primary, most polls indicated Clinton and Edwards in a close match for second place in South Carolina In the end, Clinton came in second with 27% of the vote while Edwards came in third with 18% of the vote 

After a non-binding contest in Florida, Edwards left the race, but garnered several votes during Super Tuesday, which included finishing with 10% of the vote in Oklahoma, and 4% in Tennessee 

The endorsement of Edwards was heavily sought after by both Hillary Clinton as well as Barack Obama.