The Des Moines Register has gone and shocked everyone by endorsing North Carolina Senator John Edwards in the Iowa Democratic Caucus.
This seems like an odd choice. Edwards campaign has been virtually stillborn from the beginning. Theoretically Edwards would be a good Democratic candidate – the son of a mill worker, a gifted speaker, and someone who could pull in Southern voters better than any of the front-runners.
However, Edwards hasn’t even been able to vault himself into the middle tier of candidates. Edwards doesn’t seem to have much of a chance of getting the nomination. His campaign fundraising has been anemic and his poll numbers are abysmal. Nationally his numbers in are Sharpton and Braun territory – which means that he needs a miracle to get the nomination.
My guess is that the Register endorsement isn’t a sign of confidence in Edwards but a reflection of the increasingly divided Democratic field. The Iowa vote seems to be very contentious with Dean, Kerry, and Gephardt all jockeying for position in the state. The Register‘s endorsement of Edwards is probably a way for the Register to essentially step away from the race. By endorsing a candidate that has no chance in winning it allows the Register to remain neutral in the race without the major blow to the Democrats that would result if the paper decided not to endorse any of the candidates.
