McCain Gets Romney's Backing, Edwards Remains Mum

Republican campaign dropout Mitt Romney agreed Thursday to endorse Sen. John McCain for the party's presidential nomination and ask his national convention delegates to swing behind the party front-runner, according to officials familiar with the decision.

Romney collected 280 delegates during his run through the early primaries and caucuses, more than enough to put McCain over the 1,191 needed to clinch the nomination.

The officials who disclosed Romney's plans did so on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement is expected later in the day.

Officials said the former Massachusetts governor made his decision to back McCain earlier in the day, citing a desire to help the Arizona senator wrap up the nomination before too much more time passed.

McCain is on a steady march toward amassing the 1,191 delegates he needs, but his sole remaining rival, Mike Huckabee, has proven an unexpectedly durable challenger. Huckabee defeated McCain in two out of three states that chose delegates last weekend, and ran a far stronger race than expected before losing the Virginia primary on Tuesday.

McCain began the day with 843 delegates, to 242 for Huckabee.

On the other side of the aisle, speculation continues about the endorsement of former North Carolina senator John Edwards.

While Edwards adviser John Moylan said he's spoken on numerous occasions with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Edwards is not yet willing to say which way he will cast his vote.

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"If a candidate concedes, what happens to those delegates that were obtained?"

It varies by state, but with this endorsement, it's much more likely that a good portion of them will go to McCain.

"Also, what are "Super Delegates" and how many of those do the candidates need to be the party representative?"

Super delegates are delegates that go to the convention unbound. In states that have them, there are typically a certain number of delegates that are pledged and then there are the supers. The pledged delegates are bound to vote at the convention according to who won the state, or, in proportional states, according to which candidate they are pledged to. Super delegates arrive at the convention free to vote for whomever they choose.

Candidates need as many of them as they can convince to vote for them in order to achieve the numerical majority necessary to win the nomination.

elcid89
February 15, 2008 7:31 a.m.

I'm posting this right at 6:59 to see if they really do close it down at 7:00 pm. I doubt it will show up but what the heck, I don't have anything better to do.

beachboater
February 14, 2008 6:59 p.m.

"If this is the best we can do - the Republican Party has lost its way!!"

Lost? That's putting it rather mildly. Thanks to the astute guidance of Cheney, Rove, Gingrich and the other neocon crazies driving the party for the past decade, the republican party is currently camped out on Mars. It's going to take a lot more than head scratching to find their way home.

Sumo Vita
February 14, 2008 4:42 p.m.

Whispers in Dem circles is that Edwards is contemplating which candidate to sue as opposed to endorse. Clinton and Obama campaigns are shaking like the proverbial leaf at this prospect.

Womble_Fred
February 14, 2008 4:14 p.m.

Well, it appears that you are all forgetting me. i am an Independent, and I have not made a decision yet. I am awaiting not just to see who wins in the Dem side, but how much MUD will be slung.. I am also waiting to see who the VP will be in both parties, since I feel that no matter who gets the win as President, the VP will fill the term out. I do not think anyone who was in the original primaries will get the nod, other than Joe Biden