WASHINGTON, April 22 — The last time Jonathan Prince checked, there were nearly 40 requests for John Edwards, the Democratic presidential candidate for whom he works, to appear at a candidate debate or forum.

They came from state Democratic parties and county Democratic committees. From newspapers and television stations. From unions, advocates for the homeless, church groups, black Democrats, Hispanic Democrats, Jewish Democrats and an association of big-city mayors.

“It’s a mess,” said an exasperated-sounding Mr. Prince, Mr. Edwards’s deputy campaign manager. “Debates are important, but in these big multicandidate races they end up not being an exchange of ideas, but just an exchange of sound bites. They have become a distraction.”......