Former presidential hopeful John Edwards has at long last endorsed a candidate: Barack Obama. Edwards, whose strong stances on the environment pushed his Democratic rivals to toughen their green proposals, said of his choice, "Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I." Hillary Clinton's campaign, which had also pursued Edwards' endorsement, chose to take a different view, stating, "We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

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Speculation has been running rampant for months about whom Al Gore will endorse in the presidential race. The latest anticlimactic news: the climate-crusading ex-veep plans to remain neutral for now, as do other influential Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and previous presidential candidates John Edwards, Christopher Dodd, and Joe Biden.

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Democrat John Edwards is expected to drop out of the presidential race today following poor finishes in recent state primaries. Edwards played a key role in pressuring the other leading Dems to toughen their environmental stances early on and he stood out among the frontrunners for his opposition to nuclear power, among other things. For a look at what might have been, check out Grist's interview with Edwards and our handy fact sheet on his environmental platform and record.

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Photo: AP/Mary Ann Chastain

At the acrimonious Democratic presidential debate on Monday night, the three leading candidates bickered over a whole range of issues, but they all agreed on one thing: the need to invest in creating green-collar jobs. The CNN moderators didn't ask any questions about the environment, but Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama all brought up the importance of building a clean-energy economy when they were asked about the country's economic health. "I want to put money into clean-energy jobs, green-collar jobs," said Clinton, borrowing talking points from environmental-justice leader Van Jones (we're betting he didn't mind). "We could put hundreds and hundreds of young people to work right now, putting solar panels in, insulating homes," she continued. Edwards and Obama echoed those points. No word on how that message resonated with Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, a coal industry lobbying group that sponsored the Monday matchup as well as previous debates.

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The three leading Democratic presidential candidates came together in Nevada last night for yet another debate. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama all wooed Nevada voters by voicing opposition to the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste repository, with Edwards taking his opposition a step further and coming out against all new nuclear construction. The highest drama came before the debate: candidate Dennis Kucinich had been invited to participate, but the invitation was withdrawn after his poor showing in New Hampshire and Iowa. Kucinich sued, a judge found in his favor, and the case was appealed to the state Supreme Court -- which re-excluded Kucinich from the debate just before it was to begin.

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On Nov. 17, 2007, Grist cosponsored the first-ever presidential candidate forum focusing on climate change and energy policy. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich attended and spoke in-depth about their green platforms. (All Democratic and Republican presidential candidates were invited to attend.)

Watch the forum below, or read the transcript [PDF].

For more information on the presidential candidates and their stances on climate and energy issues, check out Grist's special election coverage:

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