Edwards' Endorsement: Unifying the Democrats

Obama's major loss in West Virginia's primary has been offset partly with an endorsement from key Democratic leader and former Presidential candidate John Edwards. The timing of this endorsement is certainly significant - Edwards has reposed his faith in Obama despite his losses in the major swing states that Clinton has won with big margins.

This is a major step towards unifying the party behind Obama's candidacy and bringing the long-drawn race to a conclusion. John Edwards is a respected leader in the Democratic party. He was John Kerry's running mate in 2004 and ran a vigorous race against Bush and Cheney. He is quite popular and is viewed as a champion of the labor-class and middle-class. His support will boost Obama's rankings with the uncommitted super-delegates. Besides, blue-collar voters are now likely to view Obama more favorably following Edwards' endorsement. Obama's elitist image will most likely fade away and critics are likely to be less critical of his records showing support only from the educated and white-collar class.

According to NBC, Edwards who dropped out of the race earlier this year has 18 pledged delegates. Obama's lead in the pledged delegate count may get a boost with some of Edwards' delegates and supporters voting for him at the convention. In fact, Edwards' campaign manager David Bonier endorsed Obama last week. Bonier is a senior party member who has the backing of blue-collar and auto-union workers.

These endorsements fly in the face of Clinton's argument that she is more electable given her popularity amongst the working class, seniors, Catholics and Hispanics - many super-delegates seem to think otherwise. The past week has seen a movement of super-delegates towards Obama and Edwards' support is likely to strengthen this momentum.

With the support of key leaders like John Edwards and a unified party behind him, Obama is likely to fare much better with the working-class voters and seniors in the Presidential election.

Edwards' position in the party and his past experience certainly raise the chances of an Obama-Edwards ticket. But Clinton seems to have a stronger case and supporting voter statistics to win this position. She has certainly taken the swing states that can win the Presidential race for the Democrats and has enjoyed popularity with a wide voter base throughout this race. And despite her diminishing chances for nomination, she continues to get support from super-delegates. If she loses the nomination, her camp is likely to pressurize the party to see her sharing the ticket with Obama.