ATLANTA, March 2 (UPI) -- John Edwards lost Georgia's presidential primary by the narrowest of margins Tuesday, but by then the race for the Democratic nomination had ended.
Before the results were final, it was disclosed that the North Carolina senator is dropping out of the race.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry turned out to be the big winner with the victory in Georgia and the nomination for president in his pocket. He will face President Bush in the general election Nov. 2.
With 90 percent of the votes counted, Kerry had 46 percent of the vote to 43 for Edwards. Al Sharpton collected 6 percent, Howard Dean had 2 percent, and Dennis Kucinich wound up with only 1 percent.
CNN reported that Edwards would fly back to Raleigh, N.C., and make the announcement Wednesday. Edwards made his decision early Tuesday evening, and called John Kerry, his chief opponent.
