As John Edwards withdrew from the presidential race yesterday, his New Hampshire backers reflected on a campaign they said was stymied by the star power and fundraising prowess of the former North Carolina senator's Democratic rivals.

"I think it always was very tough for him to break through the newness and the excitement that Barack Obama brought to the race and the institutional support and infrastructure and recognition that Hillary Clinton brought to the race," said Rob Werner, an Edwards supporter who is chairman of the Merrimack County Democrats and a Concord city councilor. "They were both able to raise huge amounts of money."

Apart from campaign coffers, Edwards's Democratic primary opponents each presented a potentially historic opportunity: If elected, Obama would be the first African-American president, while Clinton would be the first female, Werner added. "That's a lot of history-making to compete against."

Others put it more bluntly.

Accusing the media of framing the campaign as a two-way race between a female and an African-American candidate, state Sen. Peter Burling described Edwards as the victim of pundits' discomfort with a three-way contest. "The national press has kind of a herd mentality," said Burling, a Cornish Democrat and longtime supporter of Edwards. "They decided about a year ago that this was about Senator Clinton against Senator Obama."

When Edwards formally launched his presidential campaign in December 2006 (with a Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans neighborhood as his backdrop), he appeared a formidable candidate. His 2004 presidential run - and his turn as the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee - made him a household name and left him with a ready-made network of supporters and donors.

Soon after the last general election, Edwards began paving the way for his next presidential bid, cementing his ties in Iowa and other early nominating states. His rhetoric was populist, his message focused on ending poverty. Early on, in what would become a theme of his campaign, Edwards renounced his 2002 Senate vote authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq.

In New Hampshire, Edwards was able to tap many of his previous backers, giving him an early base of support. Despite those endorsements - prominent Democrats such as Burling and Sens. Joseph Foster and David Gottesman threw their weight behind Edwards - he struggled to gain traction. Edwards eventually finished third in the state's Jan. 8 primary with about 17 percent of the vote. Clinton won with 39 percent of the vote, followed close behind by Obama.

In a speech in New Orleans yesterday, Edwards said that he was exiting the race so that "history can blaze its path."

Edwards's departure followed lackluster showings in the early primaries and caucuses. Before New Hampshire, Obama won a resounding victory in Iowa's caucuses, dealing a blow to Edwards, who staked much of his campaign on that contest. Clinton later won Nevada's caucuses, which, with their union influence, once seemed promising for Edwards. South Carolina's Jan. 26 primary further injured his campaign. Although Edwards was born in that state and won there in 2004, he finished third last week.

"He's still the person I believe would make the best president," said Kristin Sullivan of Concord, who hosted events for Edwards. "I feel it's unfortunate that his campaign was eclipsed by some other more well-funded candidates, but I think he was clearly successful in . . . bringing up issues that are important in the minds of most Americans."

Edwards supporters returned time and again to the issue of fundraising yesterday, voicing frustration and unease about the role of money in presidential campaigning. Edwards cast his decision in September to accept public financing for his primary campaign - which subjected him to spending limits - as a matter of principle. But before that decision, Obama and Clinton outpaced Edwards in raising money.

"I'm concerned about the influence of money in politics because I think that was a real problem for Edwards," said Rep. Mo Baxley, an Andover Democrat who is the executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, which endorsed Edwards. Baxley also gave Edwards her personal endorsement.

"I watched the way he ran his campaign. I watched the consistency of his message," Baxley said. "He just seemed so very sincere and up front and frank, and I was really attracted to that."

If some Edwards supporters have theories for their candidate's loss, others remained bewildered.

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