The battle for the White House narrowed dramatically on Wednesday as the exit of Rudolph Giuliani and John Edwards left Republican and Democratic front-runners in a pair of two-horse races.
In a surprise early withdrawal, former senator Edwards dropped out of the Democratic contest to transform the campaign into a historic fight between bitter rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
"It's time for me to step aside so that history ... can blaze its path," Edwards told a rally in New Orleans, Louisiana in a decision which came after he failed to win a single contest.
On the Republican side, former New York mayor Giuliani pulled out and endorsed long-time pal John McCain after a high-risk campaign that ended with a whimper in Tuesday's Florida primary defeat.
"Today I'm officially announcing my withdrawal as a candidate for president of the United States," Giuliani said. "John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander-in-chief of the United States."
With Edwards officially suspending his bid, the Democratic race is now set for a head-to-head clash between Clinton, aiming to be the first woman in the White House, and Obama, bidding to be America's first black president.
Edwards said both the leading Democratic hopefuls had pledged to him that they would take up his cause of championing the middle-class and ending poverty in the United States. But he did not endorse either of his rivals.
Despite coming a respectable second to Obama in the very first vote in Iowa early this month, Edwards, 54, whose wife Elizabeth has incurable cancer, has failed to shine since, limping in third in all the other primaries so far.
He even admitted to getting his "butt kicked" in Nevada, where Clinton triumphed adding to her victories in New Hampshire and Michigan.
A hefty defeat in Florida late Tuesday proved to be the final blow for the former senator, who also lost his 2004 tilt at the White House.
Clinton coasted to a symbolic victory in Florida with 50 percent, in a boost to her campaign ahead of next week's Super Tuesday when 22 states will vote for their party candidates.
Clinton and Obama both paid tribute to Edwards.
Obama said Edwards "has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news."
For her part, Clinton said Edwards "ran with compassion and conviction and lifted this campaign with his deep concern for the daily lives of the American people."
Clinton, 60, and Obama, 46, who have fought a bitter battle for voters, will again square off in a Democratic debate scheduled for Thursday in California.
Republican front-runners McCain and Mitt Romney faced off in a debate at the Reagan Library outside Los Angeles Wednesday, with Giuliani's notable absence.
Arizona Senator McCain, who was once given up for lost after almost running out of money in mid-2007, was celebrating after winning in Florida late Tuesday, to become the clear Republican pace-setter.
McCain, 71, beat former Massachusetts governor Romney to take 36 percent of the vote, over 29 percent for Romney. Giuliani came in third with 15 percent, and ordained Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee won 13 percent.
There was potentially more good news for McCain Wednesday after a CNN report that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was considering an endorsement.
Although Schwarzenegger later appeared to rule out offering his backing until after next week's California primary, CNN cited two Republican sources as saying that discussions were ongoing.
Meanwhile, in a move which could cause shockwaves in the Democratic camp, veteran political activist Ralph Nader said he was mulling a White House bid.
Nader, widely blamed by Democrats for defeat in the 2000 elections, told AFP he wanted to fight "the injustices, deprivations and insolutions that the candidates are ignoring" such as failing to address the need for a living wage, health care for all and the "enormous, bloated, wasteful military budget."
White House races narrow as Giuliani, Edwards exit
Giuliani in trouble as Florida Republicans vote: poll
Republican Rudy Giuliani's White House quest could be in deep trouble as he lags far behind the leaders in a Florida presidential primary he counted on winning, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Tuesday.
Hours before the start of Florida's voting, Arizona Sen. John McCain held a slim 4-point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 35 percent to 31 percent, in what was essentially a two-man race, the poll found.
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was battling former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for a distant third place finish in Florida. Both registered 13 percent.
The margin of error in the poll was 3.3 percentage points.
Giuliani had staked his campaign on a strong Florida showing after pulling out of other early voting states, but he has drifted down in national and state polls for weeks as the drama of an intensely contested Republican race passed him by.
"The race has become a two-man race, and Giuliani is just not a factor," said pollster John Zogby.
McCain and Romney have dominated the headlines in Florida with a heated battle over who is best prepared to rescue a struggling economy and lead a nation at war, shoving Giuliani and Huckabee aside.
No Republican has been able to grab the front-runner's role in a seesawing Republican race to represent the party in November's presidential election.
McCain and Romney have split the last four nominating contests, as McCain won in South Carolina and New Hampshire and Romney won in Michigan and Nevada. Huckabee earlier won the kick-off contest in Iowa.
A JOLT OF MOMENTUM
The winner in Florida will gain valuable momentum heading into the February 5 "Super Tuesday" voting, when 21 states will have Republican nominating contests in a sprawling coast-to-coast battle.
McCain has made gains since his endorsement on Saturday by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. They have largely come among the core conservative Republican voters who make up about half the sample and half the Florida primary electorate.
Among self-described conservatives, McCain has now opened a 7-point lead to go with the sizable lead he already held among moderates. Romney still leads overwhelmingly among likely voters who describe themselves as very conservative.
"It does appear the Crist endorsement helped McCain considerably among conservatives," Zogby said.
The decline by Giuliani, who led national polls for much of the year until he started a late slide, could be tracked in the survey.
About 64 percent of his supporters said they decided more than a month ago, while 20 percent decided about a month ago, 10 percent decided a week ago and just 6 percent decided in the last few days.
About 5 percent of Florida voters are still undecided about their choice.
Democrats also will hold a Florida primary, but a dispute with the national party over the contest's date cost the state its delegates to the national convention and led presidential contenders to pledge they would not campaign there.
Hillary Clinton, a New York senator who was crushed in South Carolina on Saturday by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, said she would go to Florida to greet supporters after voting ends -- technically honoring the pledge.
The rolling poll of 941 likely Republican voters was taken on Sunday and Monday. In a rolling poll, the most recent day's results are added while the oldest day's results are dropped in order to track changing momentum.
Romney, McCain battle for Fla. votes
Republican Mitt Romney sought to lock up the Florida primary by refusing to talk Sunday about little else but the economic jitters confronting the nation. His rivals took different tacks toward the same goal as they fanned out across the Sunshine State.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, lashed top rival John McCain for admitting less familiarity with the economy than foreign affairs, telling an earsplitting rally outside Miami: "No one needs to give me a briefing on the economy. I won't need to choose a vice president that understands the economy — because I know the economy."
A day after McCain accused him of supporting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, Romney also told a reporter McCain was "lying" before catching himself and saying, "I'm saying he made a dishonest comment. I misspoke."
McCain defended himself at a town hall meeting in Polk City when a questioner challenged the Arizona senator's votes in 2001 and 2003 against Bush administration tax cuts. McCain now says those tax cuts should be made permanent.
"I opposed the tax cuts because I saw no restraint in the growth of spending. We let spending get out of control," said the self-styled maverick.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani contrasted himself with the two in both style and substance.
"Senator McCain and Governor Romney are doing such a good job of attacking each other, how about voting for somebody who's not attacking? Vote for me, Rudy Giuliani," he said while visiting the Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach. "Presidential election is not about name-calling. Presidential election is not about gotcha and almost, like, high school politics."
In Vero Beach, he said: "I've traveled up and down the state of Florida, talked to a lot of people and listened to you. That's why I support a national catastrophe fund. I'm the only Republican candidate in this race supporting it — and I need your vote in order to accomplish it."
Polls show McCain and Romney atop the field, with Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee lagging. At stake Tuesday are 57 delegates to the national convention, and momentum heading into the Super Tuesday contests, when more than 20 states hold nominating events on Feb. 5.
Romney held only one public event, a rally in a Cuban-American community. Introduced by his son Craig, who spoke Spanish, the former governor wore Cuban-style guayabera shirt given to him by officials at a Bay of Pigs Museum.
He recalled starting his venture capital firm with support from Latin Americans, including a family from El Salvador whose son was kidnapped and killed by rebels thought to be supported by Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
"I learned that when Castro has money, bad things happen, and I vowed that I would never give in to Fidel Castro, nor must we ever," he said to cheers.
As he shook hands after the rally, Romney asked, "Why are there so many beautiful women here? I haven't figured this out. Cuban-American woman are gorgeous."
A C-Span camera crew also caught him saying of McCain "he's lying," before changing his wording and then returning to the reporter who had asked him about McCain's criticism on Saturday. "Make sure you correct that, OK?" Romney said.
McCain made one stop with Gov. Charlie Crist, a fellow Republican who endorsed him Saturday night. They greeted diners at a Tampa cafe.
"I think it's going to give us momentum in order for us to win next Tuesday," McCain said of Crist's backing.
He later campaigned with Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who endorsed him Friday, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee who is now an independent.
The Vietnam veteran also told reporters Iraq is the most important issue facing the nation.
"Even if the economy is the, quote, number one issue, the real issue will remain America's security," McCain said. "And if they choose to say, `Look, I do not need this guy, because he's not as good on home loan mortgages,' or whatever it is, I understand about that, I will accept that verdict. I am running because of the transcendental challenge of the 21st century, which is radical Islamic extremism."
Before hitting Florida's streets, Romney, McCain, Giuliani and Huckabee took advantage of the free media available to them on the Sunday morning talk shows.
Huckabee said he was not surprised by former President Clinton's aggressive tone toward Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in recent weeks. Obama ended up routing Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, in South Carolina's Democratic primary on Saturday.
"There are not two people who are better at street-fighting politics that Bill and Hillary Clinton. I've been telling people a long time, don't underestimate the scrappiness with which they'll approach this race," said Huckabee, who grew up in Bill Clinton's hometown of Hope, Ark.
The former governor added: "The one thing you have to keep your eyes on is that tactics will change but the goal will never, ever fade. That is: win, whatever it takes to do it. They didn't get to where they are ... by just sort of mapping out a plan and saying, `That's what we're going to do, regardless of the results.' If the results start changing, as they did in South Carolina, look for different tactics. They'll do what they think it will require in order to win."
Giuliani, who appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation," acknowledged being surprised by Crist's endorsement of McCain. He also deflected a question about whether he would drop out if he loses Florida, since he previously had said the winner would become the Republican nominee.
"We're going to win in Florida," Giuliani said, laughing. "We have been campaigning here very steadily since the early voting began. There's been an unprecedented, I believe, amount of early voting, so, I think we're going to do very well here."
Florida governor endorses McCain
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed a beaming Sen. John McCain on Saturday night, delivering a boost three days before the state's pivotal primary.
Crist praised McCain as a "true American hero." At a county GOP dinner in St. Petersburg, Crist added, "After thinking about it as much as I have, I don't think anybody would do better than the man who stands next to me, Sen. John McCain."
It was the second high-profile endorsement in as many days for McCain, who is locked in a tight primary race with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Crist stepped to the podium a little more than 24 hours after Sen. Mel Martinez announced he was backing his colleague in the Senate. Officials said Martinez, who campaigned Saturday with McCain, had prodded the governor to follow his lead.
Crist said he would campaign for McCain in the coming days. "I just feel in my heart he's the right man for the job at the right time," he told reporters afterward.
The winner of next week's primary will capture all 57 delegates at stake, a large prize that will set the stage for a virtual nationwide primary on Feb. 5.
Crist's endorsement was sought by all the GOP presidential rivals, including Romney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
McCain said the nod "means a lot in this race."
"I'm honored and privileged," McCain told reporters. "And I intend to work very closely with him on the issues. We've got to provide home insurance for every person who lives in the path of a hurricane. We are going to have to work together to save the Everglades and other great environmental treasures of this state."
He quipped: "We will continue to compete for both baseball spring training and for tourism."
McCain does not support a national catastrophic insurance fund for Florida and other hurricane-prone states, instead saying he could bring industry and government together to protect homeowners. Crist does support a national fund.
It's unclear what effect the two endorsements will have on McCain's candidacy.
At the very least, the nods of Florida's two top Republican elected officials could serve to validate McCain's candidacy with the GOP establishment and counteract the fears among some that he would not be a loyal Republican while in the Oval Office.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in an e-mail to the Associated Press, said: "I respect the governor's decision but Republican voters will determine who they want among very fine candidates. I look forward to working for our party's nominee in the general election."
Bush has not endorsed a candidate but many of his allies and aides have backed Romney.
Crist, a popular first-term governor, had suggested he would stay out of the multi-candidate GOP primary, and played coy about his preferences for a year. He met with all the serious contenders, and appeared with some at events.
McCain campaigned for Crist during his 2006 campaign for governor, endorsing him before the primary and appearing with him the day before the election, when Crist opted not to appear with President Bush at a Pensacola rally.
Giuliani also campaigned with Crist, and Romney delivered a $1 million check as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
While Crist has met with other Republican candidates in his office, he took an extra step last spring by introducing McCain at a fundraiser held a few blocks from the Capitol. During a debate last fall, when Crist introduced the Republican candidates, he warmly embraced McCain while shaking the hands of his rivals.
Crist has been seen as a moderate Republican. He has championed efforts to curb climate change, and was praised by former President Clinton for his efforts to restore voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.
He also pushed for a law that requires a paper trail in state elections, a measure that bans the electronic voting machines his predecessor, Gov. Jeb Bush, sought after the 2000 presidential election. That election ended in a hotly contested recount, which President Bush won by 537 votes.
