Presidential races clearer, but no shorter

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent - Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House race might be clearer but showed no signs on Wednesday of getting shorter as both parties contend with bitter nominating brawls ahead of the biggest single primary day in campaign history.

The departures of Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudy Giuliani narrowed the fields of viable candidates to two in each party but did little to fundamentally change the dynamic in hard-fought and potentially lengthy presidential races.

Two dozen states vote on Tuesday, including big prizes like California, New York, Illinois and New Jersey, as the remaining presidential candidates in each party embark on a week-long, coast-to-coast dash for delegates.

"It's going to be impossible on either side, Republican or Democrat, for any candidate to have enough delegates next week to claim victory," said Republican consultant Rich Galen.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are running neck-and-neck, having split the first four contests. The Edwards withdrawal could rally the anti-Clinton vote and aid Obama in Southern states where Edwards had a base.

"More Edwards people will break to Obama, they were both change candidates," said Democratic consultant Dane Strother, who noted Clinton's sometimes polarizing effect. "Hillary is no one's second choice."

Republican John McCain appears to have a slight upper hand over rival Mitt Romney heading into "Super Tuesday" after his big win in Florida on Tuesday. A third candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, hopes to make a dent in a few Southern states.

While Giuliani never developed much of a base, his decision to drop out and endorse McCain could aid the Arizona senator as the pair have similar strengths on national security issues and similar appeal to Republican moderates.

Both parties are choosing candidates for the November presidential election in unpredictable races where no one has sustained momentum for long.

That increases the prospect of a grinding state-by-state battle to accumulate the delegates who select nominees at this summer's conventions -- and more than half of all Democratic delegates and about 40 percent of Republican delegates will be at stake on Tuesday.

"It's going to be all about delegates," said Obama strategist David Axelrod. "We're in a very, very tough struggle for delegates, and it is likely to last a while."

With a heavy advantage in name recognition, Clinton leads polls in many states voting on Tuesday including three of the four biggest -- California, New Jersey and New York, where she is a U.S. senator. Obama leads in the other big state of Illinois, where he is a senator.

OBAMA INTRODUCES HIMSELF

Obama, who won contests in Iowa and South Carolina after months of campaigning there, must introduce himself to voters in many of those big states in one week. He has tried to play down expectations.

"I think that there is no doubt that Senator Clinton has a big advantage going into the February 5th states. She is much better known and I am still being introduced to a lot of casual voters in the other states," Obama told reporters.