Barack Obama received a significant endorsement of his presidential aspirations from former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards this week.

The former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee dropped out of the race months ago, but for a time Mr. Edwards was one of three Democratic candidates making the rounds to primaries and caucuses throughout the country.

Both Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton have actively sought their former rival's endorsement, in part because he had championed the causes and concerns of working Americans and the poor.

After Mr. Edwards departed the race in January having won 19 delegates, Mrs. Clinton received the greater share of blue-collar votes.

But it was Mr. Obama who added Mr. Edwards to his list of supporters Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the North Carolinian told a cheering crowd: "We are here tonight because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I." Mr. Edwards said that Sen. Obama "stands with me" in a quest to cut poverty in half within a decade.

In fact, Sen. Obama confirmed the pledge only moments later when he talked about fighting poverty, saying that in America, "you should never be homeless, you should never be hungry."

Mr. Edwards praised Sen. Clinton: "We are a stronger party" because of her involvement and "we're going to have a stronger nominee in the fall because of her work."

Yet the endorsement, coming a day after Mrs. Clinton's win in West Virginia, advanced Mr. Obama's cause one step closer to the nomination.