Reaction from around the blogosphere:

KnoxViews (R. Neal): It's a very sad thing. I'm glad I waited to vote, though. This makes it a lot easier.

Sean Braisted: Now, of course, there had been rumors before that Edwards was going to drop out, and he just said he would run harder...so I won't believe it until I see it.

Southern Beale: I am supremely sorry to see Edwards gone. I liked his populist ideas, and with him in the race I think he effectively kept Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the progressive tact.

Tennessee Guerilla Women: That means there will be only two in Thursday night's debate. And I think we all know who the kick-ass debater is.

10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: This is terrible. I really hoped that he would stay in the race for the distance. ... Go, OBAMA

Lean Left: I realize, despite his being my first choice, that he probably could not win. But he dragged the Democratic race much further to the left than it would otherwise have been and I felt that as long as he stayed in the race, he could continue to have that effect.

Mike Byrd: You Better Be Nice to Me Because My Vote Just Became More Valuable to Your Candidate

LeftWingCracker: Yeah, I heard, I'm still voting for him, though.

Michael Silence: Pragmatists 3, Ideologues 0

Russ McBee: I guess we're supposed to "hope" for a miracle that will cover the uninsured, or rely on someone "experienced" at voting for a war based on lies to extract us from that quagmire. Wake me in November.

WhitesCreek Journal: I'm bummed but I'll recover. There's no question that Edwards was the best choice to be our President. I also think that his choice to refuse Corporate and Pac money, and money from lobbyists greatly hampered his financial prospects.

Facing South (Chris Kromm): When the conversation turned to national politics, the only politician who got Gulf Coast residents excited was Edwards. "He didn't forget," said one community leader in Biloxi, Mississippi. "He's the only one who gets it," said a neighborhood activist in New Orleans. These were people who had largely given up on politics; living in poverty all their lives, and living in the devastation of the post-Katrina failed recovery, had convinced them it didn't matter. But Edwards had lit a spark.

The American Prospect: His departure is a sad moment, not least because Edwards' policies on health care, inequality, education, and so much more have framed this race, setting the progressive standard for his better-funded, media darling competitors.

Crooks and Liars: John’s populist message scared the daylights out of the wealthy elite and the corporate media, which ultimately hurt his coverage. We wish him and his family all the best.

TalkLeft:: The campaign begins anew tomorrow night at the debate.