Election Gaming

On the Democrat side, clearly Clinton and Obama are the only two horses in a tight race. Edwards has small, but significant support. Should he choose to endorse another candidate, could it be a deciding factor?

Perhaps. I don't think Edwards would support Clinton. Everything he says suggests he is more aligned with Obama's positions. However, his support comes from more traditional democrats, like unions. They might be more likely to support Clinton for fear of Obama shaking up the status quo too much.

On the Republican side, Romney is the odds on favorite, but Huckabee and McCain seem to be hitting at him from both sides. Huckabee is stealing the evangelical and vote-with-their-gut-types because of his personal charm. McCain seems to appeal to independent minded, salt-of-the-earth, defense minded Republicans. Romney's appeal to the establishment and business folks seems to be mild at best. Furthermore, Giuliani gets support in NY and California from people who might overwise support Romney.

The longer more Republicans can stay in the race, it benefits everyone except Romney. So long as Romney doesn't take a big lead, Huckabee, McCain, and Giuliani can justify hanging in the race. And if Romney doesn't win anything, eventually he'll bow out.

It'll be interesting if G, H, and McC, each can stick it out long enough to cripple Romney. Because if any one of them drop out, I imagine it'll give Romney the confidence to plug through and try to outlast them.