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Politics

2008 race: Edwards almost in, Bayh is out

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published December 17, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana on Saturday ended his White House bid while 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards finalized plans to get in, fast-paced jockeying in a Democratic race under the shadow of two unannounced candidates.

Bayh decided he could not compete with Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, whose possible candidacies dominate the positioning.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, has decided he can. He plans to announce his campaign in New Orleans between Christmas and New Year's, the Associated Press reported. Edwards' spokesman, David Ginsberg, would not confirm or deny Edwards' plans.

Bayh's exit stunned rivals and supporters. The former Indiana governor abandoned his bid just two weeks after forming a campaign committee.

"The odds were always going to be very long for a relatively unknown candidate like myself, a little bit like David and Goliath," Bayh said in a statement.

Obama and Clinton are attracting most of the attention among the 10 or more Democrats considering a bid. Edwards, however, is the leading candidate in the first nominating state, Iowa.

Edwards plans to begin an announcement tour around Dec. 28, the Democratic officials said.

Bayh was one of the most well-positioned candidates in the money race, with more than $10-million. Edwards has several hundred thousands of dollars of debt from his 2004 presidential campaign.

[Last modified December 17, 2006, 00:27:02]