Edwards And Giuliani Back Out Of Race
Rudy Giuliani (Republican) and John Edwards (Democratic) have pulled out of the race for President. They made the decision to back down and have decided to narrow the race down and to support the remaining candidates. Giuliani will be supporting John McCain and Edwards will be focusing his efforts on Hilary Clinton.
Mr Edwards is thought to have come to his decision after consistently failing to match the funds and star power of favourites Mrs Clinton and Barack Obama. The former vice-presidential nominee announced today in New Orleans that it was time to step aside “so that history can blaze its path”. Mr Edwards declined to reveal who he would now back, but commented that both Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama had pledged that “they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency.”
“This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause,” he told supporters, flanked by his wife Elizabeth and his three children. “With our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November”. After finishing second in the first poll in Iowa, Mr Edwards placed third in subsequent primaries and was not forecast to do any better next Tuesday, when 22 states hold primaries to select the party’s nominee for November’s presidential election.
His campaign decided that it was better to get out now than endure another week of exhausting campaigning. The health of his wife Elizabeth, who carried on campaigning after suffering a return of breast cancer in the summer, may have also played a part in their decision. Meanwhile, former New York mayor, Mr Giuliani, is retiring on the back of his debilitating defeat in the Florida primary.
He finished a distant third to the winner, Mr McCain, now the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination, and second-place finisher Mitt Romney. Speaking to his supporters after the results, Mr Giuliani delivered a valedictory speech that was more farewell than a promise to take the campaign forward. “I’m proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas in an era of personal attacks, negative ads and cynical spin,” he said.
“You don’t always win, but you can always try to do it right, and you did.” Republican officials said Mr Giuliani would endorse Mr McCain in California. If Mr Edwards endorses one candidate it is likely to be Mr Obama, after spending much of the campaign fiercely criticising Mrs Clinton as a “corporate” politician incapable of reforming Washington.
A millionaire compensation trial lawyer, he may already have reached a deal to be vice-presidential running mate to Mr Obama, or even attorney general in an Obama administration. But Mr Edwards’ withdrawal may help the former First Lady more than her young challenger. Most of Mr Edwards’ support has been among white, working class voters who are more likely to support Mrs Clinton. The former North Carolina senator was never able to compete with the heavyweight candidates and frequently complained of media bias towards the unprecedented combination of a potential first black president and first female president.