John Edwards Drops Out of Presidential Race

By Anastacia Mott Austin

It’s a thinning race toward the Presidency on both sides of the aisle, with both Rudy Guiliani and now John Edwards announcing the end of their campaigns.

John Edwards just announced he was dropping out of the race, during a planned speech in New Orleans. Representatives for Edwards say that he came to his decision after several disappointing finishes in early state primaries, including a substantial loss in his home state of South Carolina which he was betting on winning in order to remain a viable candidate.

But while Guiliani, whose campaign never seemed to pick up much steam, publicly endorsed John McCain, Edwards has so far not committed to endorsing either of his biggest rivals.

He reportedly called each of them, Obama the night before the announcement and Clinton the same day, to tell them of his plans and to urge them to incorporate his message of ending poverty into their platforms.

Edwards’ withdrawal comes as a surprise, as even recently he had announced that he was in the race until the convention. But after South Carolina, the move makes sense.

Now the big question is, where will his votes go? There is some dispute about this, especially because Edwards did not endorse one of his opponents. Some feel that the loss of Edwards means a slight advantage would go to Hillary Clinton, as Edwards had commanded the white male vote, which they say would naturally drift to Clinton.

Not so fast, say Obama supporters. Edwards’ progressive stance and dislike of corporate, established politics may mean that like-minded constituents would go for anyone but Hillary. And some may be making a mistake by assuming that votes will go along racial lines. Gee whiz, maybe people are smart enough to vote for the issues, not just because of a candidate’s gender or race.

The issue of the economy, Edwards’ primary platform, garnered him the support of many unions and lower-income workers. The unions might go for the much-vaunted experience of Clinton, but those struggling with making ends meet have typically been inspired by Obama’s message of positive change for everyone.

Both Clinton and Obama had nothing but praise for their former opponent. Natch.

"John has spent a lifetime fighting to give a voice to the voiceless and hope for the struggling," said Obama to a huge crowd at the University of Denver. "At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down he’s consistently made us focus on who matters."

Clinton also praised Edwards for his contributions, adding, "I look forward to reaching out and hoping to persuade his supporters to support me as we advocate for universal healthcare that doesn't leave anybody out, and all of the other causes that we share."

Edwards’ supporters are urging him to endorse one candidate or the other to give some guidance to those who are undecided between the two, but so far he has remained silent on the issue.

It matters more, of course, who his supporters will actually vote for. We’ll know one way or another after next Tuesday.

It’s gonna be a long week.