RALEIGH—Chairman Linda Daves, North Carolina Republican Party, made the following statement after John Edwards announced the suspension of his campaign for President:

“John Edwards failed to gain traction in his bid for President because he was unable to connect with voters.  He decided early on in the 2008 campaign to move as far to the left as possible to appeal to the ultra-liberal wing that controls the Democrat Party.  He droned on with a message of doom and gloom continually portraying a negative outlook for America. 

No candidate cornered the market on pessimism quite like John Edwards.  With every speech, he was looking for ways to turn our smiles into frowns and make the even the most hopeful optimist into a bitter cynic.  He claimed to have dedicated his life to plight of the poor but lives lavishly in his Orange County mansion.  Edwards proclaimed himself the candidate of change to take on the entrenched powers of Washington, however time and again he showed his willingness to stand with big unions, big bureaucracies, and big government against the people. 

Voters looking for real change could not find it with John Edwards and will not find it in Senator Clinton or Barack Obama.  Democrats offer only the same higher taxes, bloated bureaucracies, and liberal policy initiatives that have failed us before.  Republicans, on the other hand, have cast a positive vision of low taxes, efficient spending, and common sense solutions to the problems of government.  In November, voters across North Carolina and across America will choose a Republican President to provide effective change for a better, safer, and more prosperous future.”

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