Edwards, rights group back Obama

Two blows to Clinton as she battles on

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I," said John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator. Edwards endorsed Barack Obama last night at a rally with more than 12,000 people in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Senator Hillary Clinton, defiantly vowing to fight on for the Democratic presidential nomination, suffered two stinging rebuffs yesterday as a leading abortion rights group and former senator John Edwards, a onetime rival with support among blue-collar workers, announced their endorsement of Senator Barack Obama.

The declarations from Edwards and the National Abortion Rights Action League hit Clinton just as she sought momentum from her 41-percentage-point victory in Tuesday's West Virginia primary. The Democratic Party, meanwhile, has begun to rally around Obama as the presumptive presidential nominee.

The nod from Edwards, which both candidates had sought for months, was especially valuable to Obama, acting as a balm for his bruising loss in West Virginia and giving him a symbolic lift as he courts white, working-class voters - whom he has struggled to attract. Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee, joined Obama last night at a rally with more than 12,000 people in Grand Rapids, Mich., walking on stage triumphantly to "The Rising," the Bruce Springsteen anthem that once opened his own rallies.

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I," Edwards said, with Obama beaming beside him on stage. "There is one man who knows and understands that this is the time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama."

Obama vowed to "lift up every American out of poverty."

"You should never be homeless, you should never be hungry," he said.

The endorsement by Edwards comes as something of a surprise, as he had signaled just days ago that he would not make his preference public. His wife, Elizabeth, a respected voice in her own right, said recently that she liked Clinton's healthcare plan better, but aside from that, the couple's sentiments were hard to divine. Elizabeth Edwards did not attend the Obama rally, and it was not clear last night whether she shared her husband's sentiments toward Obama.

Obama's campaign said the two Democrats had been talking regularly in recent months, largely about how to eradicate poverty in America - Edwards's signature cause. They spoke again Tuesday night, according to the campaign, and Edwards decided to announce his endorsement yesterday.

Edwards's support could be consequential to Obama for three primary reasons.

It adds one of the most influential Democratic voices to the chorus of party leaders who have concluded that Obama, despite the fact that five primary contests remain, is the de facto nominee, and that now is the time to begin unifying the party behind him.

Perhaps more importantly, Edwards's support holds symbolic power - and, possibly, the promise of help on the stump - for Obama as he tries to make inroads with blue-collar voters who have largely sided with Clinton in the heated Democratic contest. Until Edwards dropped out of the race in late January, those voters were his main constituency, and he won 7 percent of the vote in West Virginia despite having dropped out.

"Here probably is the Democrat who has spoken most to the heart of blue-collar workers and their plight, and fought for them hardest throughout the campaign," said Joe Trippi, who was a senior adviser to Edwards's presidential campaign.

Trippi said that Edwards found Obama's healthcare plan somewhat lacking - Obama's plan would not require adults to carry coverage, though Edwards's and Clinton's plans would - but had been leaning toward Obama regardless.

The final reason Edwards's support is significant is that, although he did not win any contests, he still holds 19 pledged delegates. Those delegates are not required to now back Obama, but many of them may do so. That would put Obama even closer to the 2,026 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination.

Last night, Joshua Denton, a Democratic Party delegate from New Hampshire who had supported Edwards, said he will support Obama following Edwards's endorsement, the Associated Press reported.

Edwards made a point of praising Clinton last night before explaining his reasons for picking Obama. "We are a stronger party because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat, we are a stronger country because of her years of service, and we're going to have a stronger nominee in the fall because of her work," he said.

In April, as part of her courting of Edwards, Clinton proposed a Cabinet-level poverty czar to work on the issues that Edwards championed.

Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement last night, "We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

The defection of NARAL was perhaps more stunning because it has steadfastly backed Clinton throughout her political career - and she has consistently supported its agenda.

NARAL political committee officials said their decision to switch to Obama was not a snub of Clinton. They said it reflected an acknowledgment that Obama - who leads Clinton in delegates, the overall popular vote, and contest wins - is the probable nominee.

"Today, we are proud to put our organization's grass-roots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election," Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, which claims more than 1 million members, said in a statement.

Clinton said on NBC that she was "disappointed because of the work that I've done for so many years" and rounded up supporters on Capitol Hill to vouch for her abortion rights credentials.

Another key abortion rights group was deeply critical of NARAL's announcement. Ellen R. Malcolm, the president of EMILY's List, which raises money for female candidates who support reproductive rights, issued a statement saying it was "tremendously disrespectful" to Clinton to "not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process."

Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com.