THE NATION - Iowans seeing a different Edwards - In 2004, the Democrat said he wasn't one to attack his rivals. Now he is crossing the state and throwing punches.

Looking out at a raucous crowd of union carpenters at a weekend rally, the former senator from North Carolina sounded his tough populist line: American government has become corrupt, and he is the one Democratic candidate who can fix it. "Nothing will change if we trade a crowd of corporate Republicans for a crowd of corporate Democrats," he said.

That crowd clearly includes New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

When Edwards first ran for president in 2004, he told Iowans that if they were looking for a candidate who would attack fellow Democrats, "I'm not your guy." But in a series of recent appearances in Iowa, Edwards peppered his speeches with barbs about his primary competitors, particularly front-runner Clinton.

Iowans embraced Edwards in the 2004 race, pushing him to a second-place finish in the caucuses that helped him land the nomination for vice president. Now, most analysts agree that Edwards must win Iowa's caucuses on Jan. 3 to have a shot at the 2008 nomination

Some voters are welcoming his tactics, saying candidates need to differentiate themselves. But others wonder whether Iowa voters will align themselves with a candidate who attacks his rivals.

Iowa "voters are very sophisticated," said Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who has not decided whom he plans to endorse. Speaking at his "Bruce, Blues and Barbecue" fundraiser in Dubuque after Edwards spoke, he said, "They are looking for a candidate who's going to inspire and motivate them, not win by taking down another candidate."

Steve Larson, an assistant precinct captain in Polk County and an Edwards supporter, said he was growing increasingly frustrated by the rising negativity among the Democratic candidates.

"It turns neighbor against neighbor," said the 51-year-old Des Moines resident. "I don't like to see it."

Edwards was once the front-runner in Iowa polls, but now, outspent and out-staffed, he has fallen behind Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in recent polls, though he remains within striking distance

To win over undecided voters, Edwards is pressing his rural roots, growing up in the "mill village" of Robbins, N.C., where his father had to borrow $50 to get him out of the hospital after he was born.