Edwards ends speculation about endorsement

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) — On the day North Carolina voters go to the polls, John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth ended months of speculation about which candidate they would endorse in the Democratic primary.

The answer: neither.

In an interview with People magazine, their first on the subject since Edwards dropped out of the race, the couple said that they were attracted to – and turned off by – elements of both Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's candidacy, but had decided not to support either candidate.

"Bottom line: the couple said they will not endorse either remaining candidate, saving their political capital for their own causes – his, fighting poverty; hers, fighting for universal health care," the magazine wrote.

John Edwards said he liked Clinton's "tenacity" but disliked the "old politics" he sees in her campaign. As for Obama, "I think he really does want to bring about serious change and a different way of doing things. And secondly, I think it's a great symbolic thing to have an African-American who could be president." But, he said,

"Sometimes I want to see more substance under the rhetoric."

Elizabeth Edwards praised Clinton's health care plan, but said the "lobbyist money" that has helped fund her campaign was a turnoff.