WASHINGTON — Sen. John Edwards' selection as John F. Kerry's running mate is the latest leap in a breakneck political rise by the North Carolina Democrat, who has made a career of defeating more experienced rivals and beating the odds.
Edwards' quick march through the political world has taken him from unseating an incumbent Republican senator to finishing second in this year's crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates -- all in six years.
Now, Sen. Kerry has chosen him over several seasoned politicians with more gravitas and longer resumes.
Propelling Edwards to the front of the pack are many of the same qualities that have shaped his life: a bewitching way with words that he honed as a trial lawyer, a driving ambition that catapulted him beyond his modest mill-town origins and a willingness to take risks, which has allowed him to move gingerly from one career steppingstone to another.
All that -- and an occasional dose of good luck -- has helped Edwards elbow his way past more cautious and traditional politicians, who often are less skilled than the 51-year-old at galvanizing an audience.
Republicans and Democratic rivals have criticized Edwards for the sparseness of his government experience. But even some Republicans acknowledge that Edwards has set himself apart from other politicians with his unusual path into politics, including his decision to run for president after less than a term in the Senate.
"He has taken some very big gambles in his career, and they have paid off," said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster.
Edwards, born in 1953 in South Carolina, made his life story a central part of his presidential campaign.
The son of a millworker, Edwards was raised in a tiny North Carolina town. On the campaign trail he liked to draw the contrast with President Bush's privileged background, saying, "I hope we still believe in America that the son of a millworker can beat the son of a president."
He became the first in his family to go to college, graduating from North Carolina State University. He went to law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he met Elizabeth Anania, who would become his wife.
From there, he plunged into a lucrative career as a litigator, shattering records for jury awards in the state as he represented injured plaintiffs against corporations. In the courtroom he perfected his trademark ability to speak at length without notes, to distill complex subjects for a lay audience and to move his listeners.
