SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudy Giuliani quit the presidential race Wednesday, with Giuliani, as expected, immediately throwing his support to Arizona Sen. John McCain. Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, did not endorse either of his fellow Democrats, leaving open the question of which candidate would benefit the most.
With Edwards and Giuliani’s retreat to the sidelines, the presidential nomination battles narrowed to a pair of head-to-head contests as the remaining candidates dug in for five days of intensive campaigning before a critical Super Tuesday showdown next week.
Giuliani, who led the national Republican polls for much of last year only to see his support plummet in the opening weeks of the primary-caucus season, folded his campaign at a joint press conference with McCain hours before a GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
“John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States,” Giuliani said with McCain at his side. “He is an American hero and America could use heroes in the White House. He’s a man of honor and integrity and you can underline both.”
Giuliani will help McCain nail down victories in primaries in the northeast — New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware — and their big baskets of delegates.
McCain expected another coup today, an endorsement from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger six days before that state’s primary.
McCain got yet another boost as some aides of Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney said his campaign was not trying to purchase television advertising time in any of the states on the Super Tuesday calendar.
Instead, the former Massachusetts governor’s current plans call for campaigning in California and other primary states, the officials said.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who finished fourth in Florida, still poses a potential obstacle to Romney, especially in many of the southern primaries. Rep. Ron Paul, meanwhile, has struggled to grow his support beyond a dogged but small anti-establishment constituency.
Edwards, whose fiery populism and focus on poverty made him a distinctive voice in the Democratic race, ended his candidacy where it began, in the 9th Ward in New Orleans that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. “It is time for me to step aside so history can blaze its path,” Edwards told supporters.
Edwards’ departure left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois facing a potentially protracted contest.
The question of an Edwards endorsement coursed through the Democratic campaign. The former North Carolina senator has been in contact with both Clinton and Obama in the past 10 days in a series of private conversations that aides were reluctant to characterize Wednesday.
Edwards has aligned himself with Obama as one of the two change-oriented candidates in the Democratic race and at times has harshly criticized Clinton as a politician who symbolizes the cozy relationship in Washington between corporate power and politicians who seek their money.
But there is evidence that Clinton may profit from Edwards’ withdrawal. One Edwards adviser said Clinton may pick up support in southern states that otherwise might have gone to Edwards, while Obama could benefit from support from liberals in states such as California or Minnesota.
“At the end of the day I don’t think Edwards’ withdrawal is going to be decisive for one or the other,” said Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster. “I think (Clinton) stands to gain more than Obama does, but at the margins.”
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