"I was humbled by his offer," Edwards said in a statement, "and thrilled to accept it."

In selecting Edwards, Kerry picked a man whose strengths offset some of Kerry's weaknesses.

Edwards conveys a warmth and common touch that Kerry lacks. Like Kerry, he is a multimillionaire — but unlike Kerry, his wealth is self-made. As the son of a Carolina textile mill worker, Edwards' roots in the increasingly Republican South provide geographical balance to the Democratic ticket.

And while Kerry has been criticized for rambling speeches, Edwards has proven to be a mesmerizing speaker.

"He's probably the best orator the Democrats have," said pollster Frank Luntz. "He's a very good debater, and he has the capability of electrifying the Democratic convention."

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney politely welcomed Edwards to a "spirited race," but their allies at the Republican National Committee immediately went on the attack. The committee issued a thick press release that called the first-term senator a politically inexperienced phony who is beholden to the trial-lawyer lobby.

"Disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal," the RNC said.

Edwards' relative lack of foreign policy work could be an issue in a campaign shadowed by war, strategists in both parties said.

The New York Post reported incorrectly on its front page yesterday that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry had selected Rep. Richard Gephardt as his running mate. Associated Press

Kerry announced his decision at a rally in Pittsburgh yesterday.

He kept his decision hidden until Monday evening from everyone but his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and informed Edwards of his selection during a phone call at around 7:30 a.m.

The announcement ended a long process in which Kerry and his team scoured through a list of about 25 names and consulted roughly 300 people.

Edwards, his wife Elizabeth and their children, arrived here yesterday afternoon. The two candidates will make their first appearance as the 2004 Democratic ticket today at the Kerrys' estate outside Pittsburgh.

Afterward, they plan to campaign in Ohio and Florida, two of the most hotly contested states, to rally voters with a message of prosperity and fairness at home and rebuilding U.S. credibility around the world.

Kerry aides said they hope to incorporate Edwards' populist message decrying "two Americas," one for the rich and another for everyone else, with Kerry's themes into a call for change.

Edwards, 51, was a successful trial lawyer who made millions from his law practice before winning his Senate seat in 1998.

During the presidential primaries, Kerry, 60, questioned Edwards' qualifications for the presidency, though aides said the nominee obviously no longer harbors such concerns.

The Bush campaign also greeted Edwards with a television ad, titled "First Choice," that features Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., praising Bush as an unflinching wartime president. Kerry considered McCain as a possible running mate, but McCain made it clear he was not interested.

Kerry's campaign introduced a new ad which will begin airing on cable networks today.

Posted online last night, the ad's narrator says, "One is a combat veteran with over 30 years of experience handling the toughest issues facing America. The other is the son of a mill worker, who all his life has stood up for ordinary people against powerful interests ... Kerry/Edwards. A new team for a new America."

Some Democrats say Edwards has the campaign skills of former President Bill Clinton and the charm of a young John F. Kennedy.

"This is a ticket that can excite, motivate and most importantly defeat George Bush and Dick Cheney in November," said Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, D-Mo., in a statement.