Former rival John Edwards throws his weight behind Obama in battle with Hillary

Last updated at 08:32am on 15th May 2008

Barack Obama has won the support of former rival John Edwards in the race for the presidential candidacy as he shrugged off a landslide victory by rival Hillary Clinton in West Virginia.

Mr Edwards – former North Carolina senator and 2004 contender for the vice-presidency – dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination in late January and his endorsement is seen as a major boost for Mr Obama.

His declaration of support suggests that Mrs Clinton’s West Virginia win has had little effect on the prolonged battle for the presidential nomination.

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Earlier, Mr Obama also continued to attract the support of the Democratic Party’s so-called superdelegates – the senior Democrats and party officials who will decide on the presidential nominee.

Speaking at a rally for the Illinois senator in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr Edwards said: “The reason I am here tonight is because the Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I.

“There is one man who knows and understands that this is the time for bold leadership… And that man is Barack Obama.”

He added at last night’s rally: “This is not going to be easy, it’s going to be the fight of our lives.

“But we’re ready because we know this election is going to be about something bigger than the tired old hateful politics of the past.

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“This election is about taking down these walls that divide us so that we can see what’s possible – that one America that we can build together.”

Pitching into the increasingly drawn-out and bitter Democratic race, 54-year-old Mr Edwards urged unity, saying he had got to know the “two amazing candidates” “very well” and the party would soon have its nominee.

He was introduced by Mr Obama as a “special” treat for supporters in Michigan and “one of the greatest leaders we have in the Democratic Party”.

In a statement to reporters, Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said: “We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed, this thing is far from over.”

Mr Obama has already moved his attention from the remaining states of the primary season to November’s presidential election against Republican John McCain.

On the campaign trail in Michigan, he pledged to pump an extra $200 million (£100 million) a year into efforts to revitalise America’s manufacturing sector.

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He also sought to link Arizona senator Mr McCain, 71, with President George Bush’s economic policies.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton planned to meet members of her finance committee as it emerged her campaign was facing more than $20 million (£10 million) in debt.

After her resounding West Virginia victory, the 60-year-old New York senator made another appeal for funds to keep her campaign alive.

“We are in the home stretch, there are only three weeks left,” she said.

Speaking at her campaign headquarters in Charleston, West Virginia, Mrs Clinton said: “Like the song says, ‘It’s almost heaven’.

“You know I’ll never give up. I’ll keep on coming back and I’ll stand with you as long as you stand with me.”

Her victory appeared to have little impact on the nominating contest, but did highlight the difficulties faced by her rival in attracting the support of white blue-collar workers.

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Three quarters of white voters without college degrees backed Mrs Clinton and they made up nearly two thirds of West Virginia’s voters.

After the West Virginia results, Mr Obama now has 1,886 delegates compared with Mrs Clinton’s 1,718.

And he has picked up more than 30 superdelegates in the past week – more than the 20 delegates Mrs Clinton won in West Virginia.

Mrs Clinton’s best remaining chance of success in the race will come if the Democratic National Committee’s rules panel, which meets on May 31, allows proposals to reinstate delegates who were stripped from Florida and Michigan for violating party rules by holding their primaries too early.

Such a move would increase the number of delegates needed to get the nomination, giving Mrs Clinton more time to swing the vote.

But even under the best scenario for Mrs Clinton, Mr Obama would still lead by about 100 delegates, with fewer than 250 superdelegates left to declare their support.

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