North Carolina’s former senator John Edwards will be announcing his decision to drop out of the Democratic presidential primary race later today at 1 PM in New Orleans, where the originally kicked off his bid to be the nominee. Although Edwards hasn’t announced who, if anyone, he will be endorsing, he did call both Clinton and Obama earlier to let them know his intentions. Edwards has repeatedly said he would take his campaign all the way to the convention, and may have proven to be a significant influence in the balance of delegates between his two leading colleagues.
His dismal showing in his home state of South Carolina next to Obama, and later his distant third in Florida highlighted significant weaknesses within the strategy towards approaching mainstream voters. Edwards’ main message was one of populist economics, focusing on poverty, an idea that is not always popular among majority voters. The reality of the upcoming Super Tuesday also loomed over Edwards’ campaign, as he faced the prospect of campaigning in a large number of states, although lacking the cash and mobility of his competitors.
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