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Today was the most significant day in the 2008 presidential race. Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards have dropped out of the presidential race and both will turn support to the remaining candidates. As of today, for the first time since this campaign began, both the Democrats and the Republicans are now embroiled in two way races. John McCain and Mitt Romney will battle it out for the Republican nomination and Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton will duke it out over Super Tuesday.

The biggest news in the interim is Rudy Giuliani’s impending withdrawal and endorsement of John McCain. With Rudy out of the race it will unite the moderates of the Republican party and combine their support with those of the independents who have so far given McCain South Carolina and New Hampshire. Additionally, with Rudy out of the race John McCain becomes the defacto national security candidate.

Mitt Romney still has the monetary advantage, but as it looks right now McCain is ahead in primary states on both seaboards and with a winner-take all system on the Republican side I am betting that McCain will tie up the nomination on Super-Tuesday. Romney will rely on a western strategy to wrap up delegates but the big states that McCain will win are worth many more delegates than the likes of Utah, Colorado, and Montana. Either Republicans will accept John McCain’s candidacy on Tuesday and he will walk to the nomination or they will show up strong for Romney in an attempt to stop the “Maverick” candidate. Either way, the plurality system inherent in most February fifth states means that we will likely know who the Republican nominee will be by next Wednesday.

The Democratic story is very different. Most Democratic states are not winner take all; rather candidates are awarded delegates based on districts. This means that after Super-Tuesday Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama could be within 100 delegates of one another.

With the Democratic race so close, it is very possible that John Edward’s support-or lack their of-of either candidate could make or of the Democrats campaigns. If John Edward’s does not endorse anyone before super-Tuesday, his followers will likely turn towards Hillary Clinton. The Clinton’s will only be injured by Edward’s withdrawal if he endorses Obama. Although during the debates it often seemed that Edwards was aligned with Obama, it appears that the Clinton’s have been heavily courting Edwards for the past few weeks. According to NBC news, Edwards has spoken several times today with the Clinton’s and it is not even known if he has communicated with the Obama campaign. Either way, with the Democratic nomination being as close as it is, John Edwards has the power to put either Hillary or Barrack over the top.

Only one thing is certain going into February fifth, no political pundits predicted that there would only be four viable candidates remaining this early in the race.

Last 5 posts by Eftychis

• Russian oil slump fuels supply worries - April 15th, 2008
• The Global Food Crisis - April 15th, 2008
• "Off-the-Record Obama" - April 14th, 2008
• Putin's inability to alter the international system - April 6th, 2008
• McCain's first general election ad - March 28th, 2008

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