Gephardt praises choice of Edwards

WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- Former U.S. House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., endorsed John F. Kerry's selection Tuesday of Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., to fill out his ticket.

"I congratulate John Kerry this morning on his selection of John Edwards as his running mate," Gephardt said in a statement. "This is a ticket that can excite, motivate and most importantly defeat George Bush and Dick Cheney in November."

Gephardt, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2004, withdrawing from the latter bid after a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses. He is not seeking re-election to Congress in November.