Edwards Goes for Obama

May 14, 2008— -- How do you change the storyline after a 41-point blow out in a state considered to be a potential battleground in the fall?

If you are Barack Obama, how about rolling out the endorsement of poverty crusader, former senator and presidential candidate, and son of a millworker John Edwards?

And for good measure – why not appear together on stage, 10 minutes before the network newscasts on a night when Hillary Clinton was slated for wall-to-wall coverage after a day packed with interviews with anchors?

ABC News' Kate Snow, Raelyn Johnson and Rick Klein report that Edwards is endorsing Obama's presidential candidate Wednesday evening, "in a dramatic attempt by the Obama campaign to answer concerns regarding Obama's appeal to working-class voters."

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports that Edwards will appear with Obama at his event in Grand Rapids, MI, an event that was scheduled for 7:00 PM ET but was bumped up to 6:20 PM ET to make that network deadline. (The eagle-eyed Miller notes that Edward's former campaign manager, former Rep. David Bonior, who endorsed Obama last week, was in the audience for Obama's first event in Warren, Michigan, which is in Bonior's congressional district.)

Edwards, who is not a superdelegate, ran for president with poverty one of his top issues and his endorsement could help Obama address many of the questions that have been swirling since his losses in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – namely, can he win white working class voters in November?

Edwards and his wife Elizabeth have been coy recently when questions were asked about their endorsement. This past Sunday, Edwards called Obama "the likely nominee" but did not indicate if he was endorsing the Illinois Senator.

Snow, Johnson and Klein report: "The possibility of an Edwards endorsement has been the subject of intense speculation for months; only former vice president Al Gore's endorsement was more coveted by Obama and Clinton. Edwards and his wife had publicly praised Clinton's healthcare plan, but Edwards' anti-corporate message seemed a better fit for Obama's outsider campaign."