John Edwards’ broken presidential dream
New York, January 30 2008. It was a cold Friday night on Jan. 25 in Charleston. That night, John Edwards (photo Daniella Zalcman) was holding one of his last rallies on the eve of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary. The overwhelmingly white crowd was smaller than Barack Obama’s the night before in the same town. And there was something in the air. John Edwards’ supporters seemed to feel that his second presidential bid was coming to an end. The next day, John Edwards placed a distant third in his native state. In a rally in Columbia after polls had closed there and after Barack Obama’s victory had been announced, the former North Carolina Senator wowed to go on. But Mr Edwards was not able to compete with the high-profile candidacies of Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He could not raise the same kind of funds and decided on Wednesday Jan 30 2008 to end his campaign “so that history can blaze its path”. Mr. Edwards, 54, chose to come back to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, where he began his candidacy in January 2006, to announce his decision to step aside He did not endorse either of his two former rivals, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but he said they had both pledged to “make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency”. Mr Edwards also expressed confidence that the Demcocratic nominee would win the general election next November. “We will be strong, we will be unified, and with our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November and we will create hope and opportunity for this country”, Mr Edwards said. In New Orleans, he was joined by his wife Elizabeth and their three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack. His oldest daughter Cate had been campaigning with him in South Carolina last week to try to help him connect with young voters in his native State. The decision by Mr. Edwards marks the end of his second attempt at the presidency. His 2004 bid ended with an unsuccessful run as John Kerry’s vice presidential running mate. The former North Carolina Senator can still weigh on the primary and particularly on Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both started courting his supporters by praising him. Mr Edwards said he would first meet with both candidates before deciding whether to make an endorsement. NewYork / Jean-Cosme Delaloye with files from AP CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
||
 |
 |
 |
