The Political Inquirer

More endorsements today ahead of the January 3 Iowa caucuses, as Iowa first lady Mari Culver abandoned her neutrality in the 2008 presidential race and endorsed former Sen. John Edwards. Here’s what Mrs. Culver had to say about Edwards, according to an article from the Des Moines Register (via the Edwards campaign website):

“I think John is a winner. He’s electable,” she said. “He’s been tested. He’s been on the national ticket before. The national polls show him beating all Republicans in the general elections. He inspires me. I think he inspires other Iowans, and I think he can really rally Americans in the fall.”

Commentary beneath the fold…

A couple of things spring to mind. First, this endorsement means that John Edwards is still very much in this race. With Clinton and Obama playing their endless game of Presidential Death Match, it’s Edwards who stands to gain the most from their mudslinging. Recent polling shows that Edwards’ strength lies in his electability, with him polling much better than either Clinton or Obama against any of the possible Republican nominees. The issue of electability could matter a lot to Democrats going forward, because the last thing Democrats want to see is a Republican administration that will continue Bush’s business as usual.

The second thing I’d like to note is that these endorsements are very bad news for Barack Obama, the Iowa front runner. It seems that the media and political establishment in Iowa aren’t exactly sanguine with his candidacy – first Hillary Clinton picks up the endorsement of Iowa’s largest newspaper, which some might have expected to back Obama, and now Edwards has picked up the endorsement of the Iowa first lady.

I don’t know whether these endorsements mean much in the long run, but it seems that the Iowan stars are aligning against the Iowa Democratic front runner. For Democrats and left-leaning independents like myself who would like to see a Democratic victory in 2008, the news that the most liberal and unelectable of the three leading candidates may not take Iowa is welcome news.