On the campaign trail, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards has endorsed Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race. Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton have heavily courted Edwards since he dropped his bid for the nomination in January. Appearing at an Obama rally in Michigan, Edwards said Obama’s seemingly insurmountable lead had sealed his choice.

John Edwards: “There is one man. There is one man who knows and understands that this is a 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, meanwhile, thanked Edwards for his support and urged Democrats to unite behind his candidacy.

Sen. Barack Obama: “For the last eight years, they’ve
been told, you’ve been told, that there’s nothing this country can do to help you, that the best we can do is keep giving more and more of those with the most and tell everyone else to fend for themselves. That’s what George Bush has done for the last eight years, and that’s what John McCain is offering for the next four. Well, John Edwards and I believe in a different America. Hillary Clinton believes in
a different America. The Democratic Party believes in a different America.”

Obama has also picked up support from the influential abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America. NARAL had previously endorsed Clinton throughout her career.