Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who has a policy of not accepting money from federal lobbyists, wants the Democratic Party’s top fundraising organizations to adhere to a similar ban.

The Edwards campaign on Thursday called on Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama to co’sign a letter to party leaders decrying the connection between political donations and Washington’s lobbying industry.

“There are now more than 60 lobbyists for every member of Congress. The system is clearly rigged against the people who make our country great,” Edwards wrote to Obama is seeking his support.

Edwards’ maneuver is designed to reinforce the populist role he has embraced in this campaign and is an attempt to get a leg up on Obama, who also has a rule of not accepting money from federal lobbyists.

More at Yahoo