Thursday, May 15, 2008
Hillary Clinton's decisive win in West Virginia caused John Edwards to throw his support to Barack Obama, the Illinois senator's aides said.
Edwards was concerned that the Clinton storyline -- that Obama can't win white, working-class voters -- was becoming too damaging to Obama and the party, aides said.
Obama had been courting Edwards for four months. Since Edwards abandoned his presidential bid in January, he and Obama have talked regularly, Obama said.
As late as Monday, Edward's told CNN's Larry King that he wasn't prepared to make an endorsement.
"What I don't want to do is contribute to the divide," he said. "At least for this moment, I think the reasonable thing for me to do is let voters make their decision."
But Clinton's crushing win in West Virginia on Tuesday highlighted Obama's weakness with working-class white voters, a segment of the electorate that may prove pivotal in November.
Among white voters without a college degree, Clinton defeated Obama by 50 percentage points. Among white voters making less than $30,000 a year, Clinton's margin of victory was more than 60 percentage points.
Edwards had campaigned on the message that he was standing up for the little guy, the people who are not traditionally given a voice in Washington, and that he would do more to fight special interests.
"The reason I'm here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards told a boisterous crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Wednesday.
"There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama." Edwards also praised Clinton's candidacy.
Despite trailing in pledged delegates, superdelegates and the popular vote, Clinton has repeatedly said her campaign will keep going. Clinton campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe said Wednesday that, "We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."
Wednesday's endorsement could help Obama reach out to the blue-collar voters who have been reluctant to embrace his candidacy. On his flight from Grand Rapids to Chicago, Obama told reporters he has no doubt Edwards will help him in every demographic.
After dropping out of the race, Edwards asked Clinton and Obama to make poverty a central issue in the general election and a future Democratic administration, something both agreed to do.
Edwards released his 19 delegates, and they are free to vote for the candidate of their choice.
John Moylan, a former senior adviser to the Edwards campaign, said the former North Carolina senator's delegates "are very, very committed to John Edwards."
He said at least six of his eight delegates in South Carolina are prepared to endorse Obama.
"I think you will see overwhelming support of John Edwards delegates standing with John Edwards, and now standing for Barack Obama," he said on CNN's "American Morning."
Obama said he hopes Edwards takes an active roll in his campaign, but he declined to speculate about an Obama-Edwards ticket.
As Obama inches closer to the Democratic nomination, there's been renewed talk of a joint ticket with Clinton. Obama has said both Edwards and Clinton would be on his shortlist, but he has repeatedly said it's too early to start talking about it.
Clinton on Thursday was scheduled to campaign in Bath, South Dakota, before heading to California for a fundraiser.
Clinton's campaign is about $20 million in the red. The senator from New York spent Wednesday meeting with her finance team and reaching out to undeclared superdelegates.
Obama was expected to be in Chicago and had a fundraiser scheduled in the evening.
SOURCE
Edwards was concerned that the Clinton storyline -- that Obama can't win white, working-class voters -- was becoming too damaging to Obama and the party, aides said.
Obama had been courting Edwards for four months. Since Edwards abandoned his presidential bid in January, he and Obama have talked regularly, Obama said.
As late as Monday, Edward's told CNN's Larry King that he wasn't prepared to make an endorsement.
"What I don't want to do is contribute to the divide," he said. "At least for this moment, I think the reasonable thing for me to do is let voters make their decision."
But Clinton's crushing win in West Virginia on Tuesday highlighted Obama's weakness with working-class white voters, a segment of the electorate that may prove pivotal in November.
Among white voters without a college degree, Clinton defeated Obama by 50 percentage points. Among white voters making less than $30,000 a year, Clinton's margin of victory was more than 60 percentage points.
Edwards had campaigned on the message that he was standing up for the little guy, the people who are not traditionally given a voice in Washington, and that he would do more to fight special interests.
"The reason I'm here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards told a boisterous crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Wednesday.
"There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama." Edwards also praised Clinton's candidacy.
Despite trailing in pledged delegates, superdelegates and the popular vote, Clinton has repeatedly said her campaign will keep going. Clinton campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe said Wednesday that, "We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."
Wednesday's endorsement could help Obama reach out to the blue-collar voters who have been reluctant to embrace his candidacy. On his flight from Grand Rapids to Chicago, Obama told reporters he has no doubt Edwards will help him in every demographic.
After dropping out of the race, Edwards asked Clinton and Obama to make poverty a central issue in the general election and a future Democratic administration, something both agreed to do.
Edwards released his 19 delegates, and they are free to vote for the candidate of their choice.
John Moylan, a former senior adviser to the Edwards campaign, said the former North Carolina senator's delegates "are very, very committed to John Edwards."
He said at least six of his eight delegates in South Carolina are prepared to endorse Obama.
"I think you will see overwhelming support of John Edwards delegates standing with John Edwards, and now standing for Barack Obama," he said on CNN's "American Morning."
Obama said he hopes Edwards takes an active roll in his campaign, but he declined to speculate about an Obama-Edwards ticket.
As Obama inches closer to the Democratic nomination, there's been renewed talk of a joint ticket with Clinton. Obama has said both Edwards and Clinton would be on his shortlist, but he has repeatedly said it's too early to start talking about it.
Clinton on Thursday was scheduled to campaign in Bath, South Dakota, before heading to California for a fundraiser.
Clinton's campaign is about $20 million in the red. The senator from New York spent Wednesday meeting with her finance team and reaching out to undeclared superdelegates.
Obama was expected to be in Chicago and had a fundraiser scheduled in the evening.
SOURCE
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