Edwards speaks at press conference

Associated Press

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards made a quick campaign stop in Oklahoma Tuesday, saying he felt he was in a good position to win the state's primary and vowing to return on Friday.

Edwards, who was en route to a debate in Nevada, said he believes his North Carolina rural roots will appeal to Oklahoma Democrats. In 2004, he finished second in Oklahoma's presidential primary to Wesley Clark.

Speaking at Wiley Post Airport, Edwards said his message to Oklahoma is that he is someone who will fight for the middle class and be free of Washington special interests.

He will return on Friday as part of a three-day tour that will also take him to Georgia, Missouri, California, South Carolina and Nevada. In Oklahoma he will speak at a Teamsters local.

"For too long, powerful entrenched interests have gotten every break imaginable from Washington, while middle class families have struggled," Edwards said in a statement about the three-day tour.

"I have spent my entire life standing up and fighting for regular Americans against these interests and beating them. I know that if we fight together we can get the change we need and take our country back -- because every time we fight for jobs, for families, for the middle class, for universal health care, America rises."