Five Candidates Withdrawing From D.C. Primary

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By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2003; 4:02 PM

Four of the nine Democratic presidential candidates have formally withdrawn from the Jan. 13 D.C. primary, and a fifth is also bowing out, undercutting the city's bid to influence the nomination process and highlight its lack of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.

A spokesperson for retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who had begun to show signs of an organizational effort in the city, said he was sending a letter asking to be taken off the primary ballot as well.

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 five candidates an "offensive gesture."

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