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Edwards's Endorsement of Obama Starts `Al Gore Watch'

Julianna Goldman and Kristin Jensen
Thu May 15, 12:32 PM ET

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- John Edwards's endorsement yesterday of Barack Obama leaves former Vice President Al Gore as the major Democratic figure still on the sidelines in the party's presidential race.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator who ended his own bid for the nomination in January, said Obama is the candidate who can unite Democrats for the ``fight of our lives'' in the November election.

``The reason that I am here tonight is because the Democratic voters of America have made their choice and so have I,'' he told a cheering crowd of about 12,500 people at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with Obama at his side.

Edwards is the latest in a line of party leaders who have fallen in behind the Illinois senator as he piled up victories over Hillary Clinton in nominating contests. Since the beginning of May, three former Democratic National Committee chairmen -- Roy Romer, Paul Kirk and Joe Andrew -- were among the more than 40 superdelegates who endorsed Obama.

During the same time, Clinton, a senator from New York, has picked up 11 of the officials and officeholders designated as superdelegates.

Former Rivals

Edwards also is the third of Obama's early rivals to back his campaign. Earlier, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd lined up in Obama's corner. Senator John Kerry, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, also is backing Obama as is his Massachusetts colleague, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California haven't endorsed because of their leadership positions in Congress. Both have prodded the superdelegates to make decisions once the last primaries are held June 3.

Gore, 60, who won the Nobel Prize and built a constituency by championing the fight against climate change since losing the election to George W. Bush, has so far stayed out of the battle between Obama and Clinton.

``The Al Gore watch starts now,'' said Ken Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Gore, who is one of the party's superdelegates, has indicated he won't give his endorsement until the primary contest is finished. His spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, said yesterday that Gore had no further comment.

Obama and Gore

Obama said he has spoken to Gore ``periodically'' over the past several months about policies and ideas.

``I'm not really pushing for an endorsement,'' Obama told reporters on his plane last night as he flew to Chicago. ``I'd love to have it, but when you've won the Nobel Peace Prize, making an endorsement politically is maybe a step down.''

Edwards, 54, made the announcement last night in Michigan, a state that's likely to be a battleground in the general election and where Obama needs to attract the working-class voters and union members who were the core of Edwards's support. It came a day after Clinton won the primary in another swing state, West Virginia, by 41 percentage points.

``Edwards is a prominent Democrat who speaks on behalf of lunch bucket-carrying, hard hat-wearing, Dunkin' Donut-eating Democrats,'' said Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who worked on Gore's 2000 presidential campaign. He can help Obama ``counter the story line on whether he can or cannot win those particular voters.''

Quick Benefits

The endorsement quickly brought benefits to Obama. The 1.2 million member United Steelworkers, which had endorsed Edwards, announced today it was putting its support behind Obama. In addition, four of the 19 pledged delegates Edwards won in early contests switched to Obama, the Associated Press reported.

Edwards informed Obama of his decision the evening of May 13. His wife, Elizabeth Edwards, who has been prominent in the campaign and has said she favors Clinton's health care proposals over Obama's, wasn't with Edwards.

Edwards devoted the first part of his remarks to praise for Clinton. His mention of her name drew some boos.

``She is a woman who, in my judgment, is made of steel, and she's a leader in this country not because of her husband but because of what she has done,'' Edwards said. ``We are a stronger party because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat.''

Still, he said, the nomination race ``will be over soon'' and he called Obama the ``one man who knows and understands this is a time for bold leadership.''

`Far from Over'

Mo Elleithee, a spokesman for Clinton's campaign, said she will continue to fight for the nomination. ``We have great respect for Senator Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this race is far from over,'' he said.

Obama, 46, has a commanding lead over Clinton, 60, in delegates who will choose the party's presidential candidate and is closing in on clinching the nomination.

He leads Clinton in pledged delegates 1,602 to 1,445, according to a count by the Associated Press. Among superdelegates, he has the support of 290, compared with 275 for her, according to lists and announcements from both campaigns.

Obama needs to win less than 140 delegates to secure the 2,026 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.