Edwards widens lead in South Carolina

DEMOCRAT John Edwards widened his lead over front-runner John Kerry in South Carolina and Wesley Clark held a slim advantage on Kerry in Oklahoma a day before presidential nominating contests in those states, according to the latest poll.

Kerry, still benefiting from a surge in momentum after wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, held commanding leads in Missouri and Arizona today as seven states prepared to vote in the Democratic race for the right to challenge President Bush.

Edwards, the senator from North Carolina, increased his lead over Kerry from one to five points in the latest Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby poll in South Carolina, a state Edwards says he must win to stay in the race.