Edwards bows out of Democrat race to challenge Bush
US Senator John Edwards formally ended his pursuit of the Democratic nomination, pledging to “do everything in my power” to help John Kerry win the White House.
Mr Edwards said he was suspending his campaign, signalling an end to his active effort to gain the presidency after winning only one state out of 30 to hold primaries and caucuses so far.
With the Democratic presidential nomination well in hand, Senator Kerry took the first steps toward selecting a running mate, with options that include state governors, members of President Bill Clinton’s economic team and a larger-than-life former first lady.
He chose Jim Johnson, a prominent Washington Democrat, to begin his selection process and screen potential nominees. Mr Johnson, vice president of a merchant banking firm, once worked for former Vice President Walter Mondale.
Mr Kerry kept mum about potential political partners, describing it as a private and personal process.
Among the criteria he mentioned was a running mate capable of assuming the presidency and an individual he gets along with personally. He’ll also be looking for someone who can bring certain strengths that negate his weaknesses.
With 19 years in the Senate, Mr Kerry may look outside Washington to governors such as Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Mark Warner of Virginia or Janet Napolitano of Arizona. An industrial state governor who can relate to the common man, such as Pennsylvania’s Ed Rendell, could help offset Mr Kerry’s reputation for aloofness. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson could create excitement as the first Hispanic on a major party ticket.
Mr Kerry may consider someone with economic experience to send a message of fiscal responsibility to Wall Street. Possibilities include Fannie Mae chairman and CEO Franklin Raines, who was President Clinton’s budget director, or Robert Rubin, who was Mr Clinton’s Treasury secretary.
The Kerry campaign was vague about the timetable for a decision.
Kerry may look to a former rival who has built a fund-raising network and has experience campaigning. Mr Edwards, Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt and retired Army General Wesley Clark all endorsed Mr Kerry when they exited the race and have pledged to support his campaign. Before General Clark entered the race, Mr Kerry advisers said a ticket with the two decorated veterans could be a powerful force with a nation at war.
New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has repeatedly said she intends to complete her term, which ends in 2006, but has not ruled out running for president in 2008 if President George W Bush is re-elected. If Kerry is well-positioned to win the race this year, however, Mrs Clinton may find the ticket too attractive to pass up.
Meanwhile President George W Bush opened a fund-raising sprint through California and sought to win over voters by focusing on what he calls his “compassionate conservative” agenda.
Renewing his push to expand religious groups’ roles in helping down-and-out Americans, Mr Bush told 1,500 government and religious leaders yesterday: “We’re talking about healing our nation, we’re not talking politics.”
But the campaign was on full display as Mr Bush crammed three fund-raisers into a 25-hour California visit – yesterday’s events alone netting around €3m.
Democrats seeking the right to challenge Mr Bush have argued for months that he has left the poor behind with tax cuts they say were skewed to the rich and corporate-friendly policies. Mr Bush argued that he had not forgotten the “people in our society with shattered lives” and said religious groups represent a different route to tackling “those seemingly intractable problems”.
He said: “In spite of the fact that we have large bankrolls, and wealth beyond imagination for many people in the world, in our own society, there’s darkness and loneliness and addiction and wonder – wonder whether their life is worth anything.”
The speech on helping the less fortunate took up the first 45 minutes of Mr Bush’s California visit. From there, his appearances late into Wednesday evening were strictly for wealthy Republican donors.
The California fund sweep came as his campaign treasury was starting to spend millions on ads, with commercials set to begin nationwide on today.
