STEVE INSKEEP, host:
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And I'm Renee Montagne.
We're following reports today that two presidential candidates are ending their campaigns. Republican Rudy Giuliani is expected to pull out of the race after a distant third place finish in yesterday's Florida primary. Perhaps most surprisingly, Democrat John Edwards is said to be quitting the race, despite insisting just a few days ago that he was in it for the long haul. His campaign has scheduled an announcement later today in New Orleans.
Joining us now to talk about the shrinking field of candidates on both sides is NPR's political editor Ken Rudin.
Good morning.
KEN RUDIN: Good morning, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Let's start with the Republicans. Where would Rudy Giuliani's departure leave the two leading candidates - John McCain and Mitt Romney?
RUDIN: Well, it leaves them obviously focusing on Super Tuesday. Rudy Giuliani never really seemed to make the difference. Once upon a time he was the national frontrunner, but the thought of a pro-gay rights, pro-choice, pro-abortion Republican candidate getting the nomination was always suspect to begin with. But I think it probably helps John McCain, in the sense that Giuliani was more of a moderate Republican and John McCain, for all of his conservative credentials, is seen as more of a moderate candidate - certainly more moderate than Mitt Romney.
MONTAGNE: Yesterday, John McCain spoke of Rudy Giuliani as his, quote, "dear friend," called him an inspiration, which right off suggests maybe he's not such a threat. But any doubt that Giuliani would throw his support behind John McCain?
RUDIN: Well, they've been very buddy-buddy. If you notice in the debates, they've been very kind to each other. Even in the last Republican debate, John McCain was talking about Rudy Giuliani almost in the past tense. Whereas there's no secret that most of the Republican candidates, especially John McCain, but also Mike Huckabee, do not especially like Mitt Romney. Romney has spent much of the campaign campaigning against and criticizing his fellow Republicans. But there is a certain kinship of bond between McCain and Giuliani.
MONTAGNE: Now, turning to the Democratic side, it seems we're down to two.
RUDIN: Yes. I mean, people are saying it is a surprise because John Edwards said all along that he would fight on until the convention. But he spent so much time and so much money trying to make a good showing in Iowa and he finished second there. Of course he spent a lot of time and his birth state of South Carolina - the only state he won in 2004. And he finished third there. It's hard to run against the $100 million campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And I think a lot of voters were not sure about which John Edwards they were seeing. Four years ago he was the nice guy, centrist. Now he's the angry populist. His message just didn't seem to carry through in the primaries and caucuses we've seen so far.
MONTAGNE: Do you, Ken, think that either party will have a nominee coming out of Super Tuesday?
RUDIN: Well, predicting anything is such a dangerous game, especially what's going on now. We all thought that Hillary Clinton was gone before New Hampshire, and that's certainly not the case. We were all writing off John McCain all summer long. And now he is the frontrunner - whatever that word means. So it's kind of odd to see what's happening. But they are moving closer and closer. John McCain does seem to be a serious frontrunner. And of course whoever comes out of February 5th between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seems to have an easy ride to the nomination.
MONTAGNE: Ken, thanks very much.
RUDIN: Thanks, Renee.
MONTAGNE: That's NPR's political editor, Ken Rudin.