Freshman Rep. Bruce Braley (D) on Monday became the first member of the Iowa delegation to issue a 2008 presidential endorsement — throwing his support to former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.).

Braley, who also backed Edwards in the 2004 White House race, made the announcement at a community meeting in Waterloo. [IMGCAP(1)]

“John is the only Democratic candidate who grew up in rural America, and he has most specific, most progressive and most far-reaching ideas,” Braley said in a statement released by the Edwards campaign. “I truly believe he is the best Democratic candidate to lead us to victory in 2008.

Braley, like Edwards, is a former trial lawyer, and once served as president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association.

All three of the leading Democratic presidential hopefuls — Edwards, along with Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) — headlined Braley’s annual barbecue fundraiser last month.
— Lauren W. Whittington