Four Democratic candidates on Tuesday formally decided not to participate in the Michigan presidential primary on January 15 because the nominating contest was being held too early, Michigan election officials said.Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina -- the two top rivals to front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton -- informed state officials they would not take part in the primary, said Kelly Chesney, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware also informed the state they would not participate, she said.
Four other candidates -- Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel -- had left their names on the ballot, although all the Democrats have pledged not to campaign in states that hold nominating contests early in violation of party rules.
Michigan and Florida have run afoul of the Democratic National Committee by moving their nomination contests to earlier dates that conflict with the party's calendar.