05/15/2008
US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama secured the long sought-after endorsement of former rival John Edwards, a gesture aimed at solidifying support for the party's likely presidential nominee as Hillary Clinton refuses to abandon her long-shot candidacy.
Edwards appeared with Obama in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as Obama campaigned in a critical general election battleground state. "There is one man that knows how to create change, the lasting change that you have to build from the ground up. 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 said.
Edwards' endorsement deals a sharp blow to Clinton, a day after she sought to convince top Democrats that her 2-1 victory over Obama in West Virginia on the strength of working-class voters was evidence that her campaign still had signs of life despite her rival's largely insurmountable delegate lead.
Obama said not only was he pleased with Edwards' endorsement, but "more importantly, the themes that he has been pushing throughout this campaign, the idea of us working together on those issues is something I'm excited about".
Clinton vowed to stay in the campaign despite struggling with debt, though she hinted that the protracted race would end shortly after the primaries concluded and that the party would select a candidate before its national convention in August. She continued her long-shot strategy of trying to persuade the superdelegates that only she can attract working-class votes based on her victory in West Virginia.
Speaking before Edwards' endorsement of Obama, she said her campaign was "thrilled" by the victory in West Virginia. "It was a great validation of my message about fighting for people and we're going on to Kentucky and Oregon and the rest of the contest and then we'll see what happens with Michigan and Florida and by June 4th we'll have a clearer idea about where everyone stands". Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and the 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in late January.
Both Obama and Clinton immediately asked Edwards for his endorsement, but he stayed mum for more than four months, even as the campaign focused on his home state in recent weeks.
Edwards considered making an endorsement in the weeks after leaving the campaign. People who talked to Edwards privately at the time said he was concerned about Obama's readiness for the presidency and his electability.
Clinton worked harder to woo both Edwards and his wife and impressed them both, those Edwards confidants said, but Edwards would have had a hard time endorsing her after criticising her so much during the primary.
Edwards said in the past week that Obama would likely be the party's presidential nominee and that Clinton must be careful not to damage the party's prospects in November as she continues her campaign. Including delegates won in West Virginia and new superdelegates, Obama has 1,887 delegates to Clinton's 1,718, with 2,026 needed to win the nomination.
Only five contests remain, so Clinton has no hope of winning enough delegates to overtake him, leaving her hopes with the superdelegates. About 250 of the nearly 800 superdelegates remain uncommitted or have not been chosen yet. But the trend of superdelegates has been overwhelmingly in Obama's favour. He picked up more than 30 in the past week.
Still ahead are five primaries, beginning next week in Kentucky and Oregon, then Puerto Rico on June 1 and Montana and South Dakota two days later. Obama is favoured in Oregon and South Dakota, with Montana apparently more competitive and the others looking solid for Clinton.
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