Edwards Back to the Drawing Board
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- John Edwards conceded defeat tonight in New Hampshire, but he vowed to push on his bid for the Democratic Party nomination.
"Tonight, I congratulate Senator Clinton and Senator Obama," said Edwards. "Two races down, 48 states left to go."
Nobody – including the campaign itself - expected John Edwards to finish anywhere but third in the Granite State tonight. But they also never thought Hillary Clinton could pull off a win.
For days, senior Edwards officials were predicting the downfall of Hillary Clinton. They hoped to harness her lost momentum and try to steadily build a two-man race between Edwards and Obama, beginning in South Carolina.
But with Clinton's triumph in New Hampshire - and with her momentum back in force - that leaves Edwards with little of his own to carry on to Nevada and South Carolina.
The campaign's strategy now focuses on the delegate count. Senior advisor Joe Trippi told reporters tonight that as long as the delegates continue to be split in a three-man race, no one will be able to clear the 50% hurdle to claim the nomination before the convention. And in his seven-minute speech to supporters at the Tower Mill in Manchester, Edwards seemed to be on board with that strategy.
"I want to be clear to the 99% of Americans who have not yet had the chance to have their voices heard that I am in this to the convention," said Edwards. "And I intend to be the nominee of my party."