High-profile Democrats Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina teamed up yesterday to advocate for minimum wage issues on the Nov. 7 ballot in Ohio and five other states.

“We have a wildfire that’s going across this country in support of the minimum wage,” Kennedy said in a conference call with reporters.

He discounted as “phony” arguments by opponents who say raising the wage will hurt the economy and cost jobs.

Europe’s most healthy economies, Ireland and Great Britain, have minimum wages of $9.65 and $9.51 per hour, respectively, he said.

“The Republican-led Congress has been thwarting the will of the American people,” Edwards added. “It’s clear the country supports raising the minimum wage.”

In an interview, Tom Foulkes of the National Restaurant Association countered that Ohio’s wage issue is particularly bad because it builds in an annual cost of living increase that will further hurt businesses and the economy.