NEW ORLEANS - Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday, saying it was time to bow out "so that history can blaze its path."

Edwards, 54, had hoped to make history himself. He could not elbow past two better-financed and more famous candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

"We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic party will make history," Edwards said at a news conference in the Katrina-devastated Lower 9th Ward where he began his campaign in 2006. "We will be strong, we will be unified and with our convictions and a little backbone, we will take back the White House."

The departure of Edwards marks a low point in a remarkable political saga. In a little more than a decade, Edwards went from a successful but politically uninvolved Raleigh lawyer to a U.S. senator, a two-time presidential candidate, a vice presidential running mate and one of the most recognizable faces in American politics.

"It's pretty clear looking over past months that he did influence the Democratic message," said Democratic Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill. "He was the first out of the box with a strong universal health care proposal. And the focus on the economy and what the economy's doing to people, and the very poorest people especially. I think he pushed the others on the question of the war and how decisive a reversal-of-war policy the Democrats should stand for."

Despite influencing the debate, Edwards could not get as much traction as he did in his first presidential run, when he finished a surprising second in Iowa over several more established political figures before being selected to be on the national ticket as the vice presidential nominee.

"The simple explanation is he was up against two superstar candidates," said Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University.

Edwards did not endorse either of his rivals Wednesday but said he obtained a pledge from both to focus on his signature issue of poverty.

Edwards campaign officials said they couldn't break the media's focus on Clinton and Obama.

"There was a split screen," said David "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic consultant who worked for Edwards. "On one side was Barack Obama and the other side was Hillary Clinton. The national media wanted an 'American Idol' campaign. It was a superstar mentality. If we were going to nominate a superstar, why not go ahead and nominate Bruce Springsteen?"

Edwards' strategy was to do well in the first four states and emerge as an alternative to Clinton. But Edwards, overshadowed by Obama, lost the contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and, last Saturday, in his native South Carolina.

The most damaging loss was in Iowa, where Edwards spent much time and money in an attempt to land an early win. Edwards never recovered from that loss, according to Tad Devine, the chief political consultant to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

Reversal after family meeting

Edwards had vowed to soldier on to the Democratic convention in August, hoping that voters would get buyer's remorse with Clinton or Obama, or that he could play the role of kingmaker. But Edwards had a change of heart over the last several days.

After South Carolina, Edwards returned home to Orange County, where he had a family conference with his wife, Elizabeth, his closest adviser. The Edwardses announced last spring that Elizabeth's breast cancer had returned and that it was incurable but that they would continue with the campaign.

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