Barack Obama's presidential campaign just confirmed that former Michigan Rep. David Bonior, who had run John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign, is endorsing Obama. The confirmation came in an e-mail to reporters announcing an 11 a.m. ET conference call during which Bonior and another Obama supporter -- former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle -- will talk to reporters.
The Obama team released this statement from Bonior as well:
"John Edwards ran a campaign focused on fulfilling a promise to America's working families that they could once again trust their leaders to put them first. As I look at the presidential race as it stands today, I see one candidate who has proven he can bring the kind of change to Washington that will mean more jobs, better pay for American workers, and health care for every single American. That candidate is Barack Obama.
"This is a critical election in our nation’s history. For too long, Wall Street lobbyists and special interests have blocked real change for hardworking Americans. Senator Obama is the candidate who can take on the Wall Street lobbyists and make sure Washington works for working families again. Senator Obama has been fighting for working families ever since he moved to Chicago more than twenty years ago to help turn around communities that were struggling after the local steel plants closed.
"Tuesday was a critical moment in this race. Because Barack Obama continues to run a positive campaign that focuses on the issues that matter to ordinary Americans, he has won a commanding lead in this race, and I believe he can and will defeat John McCain in November. Now is the time to unite behind Barack Obama so we can end business-as-usual in Washington and fulfill our moral obligation to America’s hardworking families."
Edwards has not yet endorsed either Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
On the call with reporters, Bonior made the case that this is a "watershed year" in American politics, and that Obama is the candidate who can bring the "change" that voters want:
Audio Clip 1
Also, in response to a question from our Gannett News Service colleague Brian Tumulty, he said that Clinton and her aides will base their decision on whether to leave the race on a variety of factors:
Audio Clip 2
On the conference call, Bonior just said that one important factor in his decision to support Obama was the senator's early and continued opposition to the war in Iraq. He also said that Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate in a long time who has "brought a movement with him. ... That's very exciting and it's very real."