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Politics

The race narrows

The road to the White House took a dramatic turn Wednesday with the exit of two big names, Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat John Edwards. Neither had been able to break through in the early nominating contests.

By Times Wires
Published January 31, 2008

RUDY GIULIANI-

What he said: "John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States," Rudy Giuliani said in announcing his support Wednesday for GOP rival and friend John McCain. "This man is a national hero and I'm honored by his friendship."

Where his supporters might go: Giuliani's endorsement figures to help the Arizona senator, but it might be hard to tell how much. His backing is not likely to help McCain where he may need it most, among social conservatives who have long been suspicious of him because of his willingness to break with the party line on issues such as immigration. Mitt Romney's advisers said they would be focused in the next week on trying to rally conservatives to Romney, who will continue to paint McCain as a moderate out of step with his party.

Campaign postmortem: Last year, Giuliani occupied the top of national polls and seemed destined to turn conventional wisdom on end by running as a moderate Republican who supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control. He hung his presidential bid on his leadership, especially his performance as New York mayor after the terrorist attacks. He adopted an unconventional campaign strategy, bypassing the earliest contests and relying heavily on Florida to launch him into the coast-to-coast races next week. But Florida proved to be less than hospitable. With no primary victories and dwindling resources, his third-place finish in Florida on Tuesday spelled the end of his run.

What's next for Giuliani: Despite the collapse of his bid for the White House, he has not permanently lost his political luster and could end up in a Republican cabinet or even running for elective office again, experts say. "He could be Homeland Security chief; he could be attorney general," said Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College in New York. "His electoral life is over, but not necessarily his political life." Giuliani said little about his plans beyond a willingness to campaign for McCain. He is expected to return to his consulting business, Giuliani Partners LLP, but it's unclear whether he will resume a full-time role there.

JOHN EDWARDS-

What he said: "It's time to step aside so that history can blaze its path" in the now two-way Democratic race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. He said each pledged that they "will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency. This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment." He did not endorse either rival, saying he would meet again with them before deciding.

Where his supporters might go: It is unclear whether Clinton or Obama will benefit most from Edwards' exit. A survey by the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg this month showed that he was attracting key constituencies important to both front-runners - including men, who also tend to support Obama, and lower-income voters, who typically have been drawn to Clinton. An Associated Press-Yahoo poll late this month showed four in 10 Edwards supporters saying their second choice in the race is Clinton, while a quarter preferred Obama. Edwards had won 56 national convention delegates, most of whom will be free to support either Obama or Clinton.

Campaign postmortem: Edwards bet the farm on the Iowa caucuses, but he only managed to finish second there. He never recovered from that loss, quickly overshadowed by his more famous and potentially more historic opponents. He waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the blow of his wife's recurring cancer diagnosis, but he consistently trailed Clinton and Obama and notched a distant third-place finish in his native South Carolina on Saturday (after having won that primary in 2004). He was the first to offer a plan for universal health care, but his antipoverty focus failed to resonate with voters.

Edwards' career: His departure marks the apparent end of a remarkable political saga. In a little more than a decade, he went from being a successful, but politically uninvolved, Raleigh, N.C., lawyer to become a U.S. senator, a two-time presidential candidate, a vice presidential running mate and one of the most recognizable faces in American politics.

Times wires

[Last modified January 31, 2008, 02:00:04]