BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. -- Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards criticized rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday for leaving South Carolina in the run-up to the state's primary, saying residents should question whether the New York senator would return if she became president.

"After the debate she flew out and won't be back," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small town. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"

The former North Carolina senator overstated his claim, however. Clinton took part in Monday night's debate in Myrtle Beach and then left to campaign in states scheduled to hold contests Feb. 5, including California, New Mexico and New Jersey. She's expected to be back in South Carolina on Thursday, and her husband has been campaigning for her around South Carolina this week. Barack Obama also has been campaigning in South Carolina in advance of Saturday's primary.

Edwards is emphasizing his biography in an attempt to gain traction here even as polls show him lagging both rivals. A South Carolina native and son of a mill worker, he stresses themes focused on the middle class and an economic plan that would bring help to family farmers, and jobs and broadband Internet connections to rural areas.

"I will not forget where I came from," Edwards told the crowd during one of three campaign events he was to hold Wednesday alongside a bluegrass band. He said he's not a candidate who "thinks of Bennettsville as some place you fly over on the way from New York to Miami."