Four Candidates Withdraw From D.C. Democratic Primary [View All]

[dajabr]

By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2003; 1:53 PM


Four of the nine Democratic presidential candidates have formally withdrawn from the Jan. 13 D.C. primary, undercutting the city's bid to influence the nomination process and highlight its lack of congressional voting rights.

Removing their names from the ballot were Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.).

All four had letters hand-delivered to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics late Thursday afternoon withdrawing. The D.C. Council passed a law last month putting all the candidates on the ballot unless they opted out.

D.C. Democratic Party Chairman A. Scott Bolden called the move by the four candidates an "offensive gesture."

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12582-2003Nov7.html