North Dakota supporters of John Edwards said they were surprised by his sudden departure from the Democratic presidential campaign on the eve of contests in more than 20 states.

"I think he would have done very well here," said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, Edwards' leading North Dakota supporter. "I think he would have done even better had (the North Dakota caucuses) been earlier."

North Dakota's Republicans and Democrats are both holding presidential caucuses on Tuesday. North Dakota and Minnesota are among a group of more than 20 states with presidential contests on that day.

Edwards' decision Wednesday to end his campaign means both the Republican and Democratic fields no longer have anyone who has visited North Dakota in the last two years.

Republican Rudy Giuliani, who held a fundraiser in Fargo last November, also dropped out of the race Wednesday after a poor showing in Florida's primary.

Edwards spoke at the North Dakota Democratic state convention in April 2004, and attended a fundraiser for Democratic state legislative candidates in August 2006 at the Bismarck home of Tim Purdon, one of his principal North Dakota advisers.

Edwards had scheduled a speech at Fargo's Labor Temple on Wednesday, but canceled it in favor of an appearance in New Orleans, where he made the speech announcing the end to his campaign.

Purdon said he was unsure whether either one of the two major remaining Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, will benefit the most from Edwards' decision.

"I felt that we had put a very strong organization together here in North Dakota, and that we were going to be very, very competitive," Purdon said.

Edwards had collected endorsements from a majority of North Dakota's Democratic state legislators, including Lansford Sen. David O'Connell, the Senate's Democratic floor leader, and his House counterpart, Rolette Rep. Merle Boucher, who is a Democratic candidate for governor.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am to our endorsers," Purdon said. "It's been bleak for a couple of weeks, and you know, nobody has jumped ship."

Purdon's association with Edwards began during his first presidential campaign in 2004. Eventual Democratic nominee John Kerry picked Edwards as his running mate.

"That sense of disappointment, that will be with me for a while," Purdon said. "I've been John Edwards' guy in North Dakota since October of 2003 … This is something I've been invested in for over four years."