Carol Moseley Braun on the Campaign Trail

— -- ABCNEWS' Monica Ackerman traveled with former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun as she campaigned for the presidency. Scroll down for her reports.

"Nine, Ten, Nine, Now Eight"

Jan. 15 - It's the end of the road or perhaps just the beginning for Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun. Democratic sources say the Ambassador has dropped out of the presidential race. But she's not leaving quietly. Sources say Moseley Braun will endorse Howard Dean today as she exits the race.

News of her departure broke soon after Moseley Braun appeared as a guest on the Daily Show with John Stewart. During the show she gave no clue of her decision. John Stewart asked the Ambassador how she reacts to people calling her a long shot. Moseley Braun replied, "I ignore it." Throughout the show, Moseley Braun maintained her signature smile as she joked about Bush, Mars and the Iowa Caucus.

The Moseley Braun campaign is not commenting on the decision. However, both Howard Dean and the Ambassador will make an appearance tomorrow in Carroll, Iowa.A source close to the National Organization for Women tells ABC News that Howard Dean made a "good appearance at a NOW conference back in July." At the conference, Dean noted that it was a politician's worst nightmare having to speak after Moseley Braun at a NOW meeting. Whether or not NOW will pass along their endorsement to Dean is something the Political Action Committee will have to decide.

According to the Moseley Braun campaign, they will continue with their travel plans to South Carolina this weekend.

Moseley Braun misses Iowa event

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 13 — Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun missed her only public event of the day in Iowa yesterday. According to the Director of the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Health Care Association, Ted Boesen, they had been planning the event for a week. A staffer at the Primary Health Care center decided to pull the plug when the campaign called late Friday to confirm their attendance. Mr. Boesen said the staffer cancelled because of the late confirmation.

Yet, for some reason, physicians and patients were awaiting the Ambassador's arrival yesterday. Campaign Manager Patricia Ireland says she's "horrified" by the whole situation. Mr. Boesen says it was a matter of miscommunication. He went on to say that he admires the Ambassador's run for presidency. He also would have liked the publicity. Senator Kerry spoke to the association at their Waterloo site. Rep. Kucinich was scheduled to speak at another site this Friday, but cancelled.

The misunderstanding should not affect Moseley Braun's standing in Iowa. Ireland has already said "they're not playing" in the Hawkeye State. Moseley Braun won't even be in Iowa for the Caucus. Instead, the Ambassador will spend Martin Luther King Day in South Carolina.

Banking on the South

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 6 —South Carolina, that's where Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun's campaign manager, Patricia Ireland, believes the campaign will do their best. Moseley Braun often says she is doing better than other better funded candidates. The latest South Carolina Pew Research Center poll has the Ambassador tied with Sen. John Kerry at 3 percent. Moseley Braun recently opened up an office in the Feb. 3 primary state. It's the campaign's only field office. Ireland says they were able to gather 6,000 signatures in South Carolina in six days, all with the help of volunteers.

In New Hampshire, Ireland says she doesn't have much of a read. As far as Iowa is concerned, she doesn't think they'll play well.

Ireland says they can't afford to pay the accountants enough to both file for the 4th quarter and do the matching funds paperwork. Instead, campaigner Jessie Washington, has been put in charge of the "tedious" matching funds work.

As far as 4th quarter funds are concerned, Ireland estimates that they took in between 150-200 thousand dollars.

"I didn't sign onto the campaign to beat my head up against a wall; I think this campaign can do something," Patricia Irelands says optimistically.

Va. out of the equation, Xanthopoulo back to Fla.

NEW YORK, Dec. 17 —Moseley Braun's campaign got a wake-up call last Friday. The campaign was 700 signatures short of making the Virginia Democratic primary ballot. Campaign manager Patricia Ireland said that although Virginia is a fairly conservative state, the campaign was hoping to do all right there. Each of the other eight Democratic candidates got the 10,000 names required by the State Board of Elections. In Ireland's words, not getting on was "a messed up task that we didn't get." Campaign officials also feel that now they will have more time to focus on New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The campaign's deputy manager, Paula Xanthopoulou, who had just recently relocated to Chicago to work out of the campaign's headquarters, is now moving back to Florida. Xanthopoulou will return to her home state to focus on campaign filing, according to Ireland.