Obama closing superdelegate gap
WASHINGTON (AP) - April 30, 2008 Party leaders are encouraging superdelegates to pick a side by
late June to prevent the fight from going to the national
convention in August, and it seems some are listening as the race
enters its final five weeks of voting.
Chelsea Clinton got a superdelegate for her mom while
campaigning in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, just as Obama press
secretary Bill Burton sent out a statement announcing the support
of Rep. Lois Capps. The statement didn't mention the personal
connection - Capps is Burton's mother-in-law.
Clinton had a big jump start among superdelegates, many of whom
have ties to the Clintons and backed her candidacy early on. But
most of the superdelegates taking sides recently have gone for
Obama, who has won more state contests.
Obama trails Clinton by just 21 superdelegates, 243-264, cutting
her lead in half in less than two months. This week, he picked up
seven delegates to her four.
The superdelegate chase is a key piece of good news for Obama in
what has been a bad week. The Illinois senator is coming off a big
loss in Pennsylvania, steeped in controversy surrounding his
outspoken former pastor while Clinton fares better against
Republican likely nominee John McCain in the latest Associated
Press-Ipsos poll.
But the problems aren't stopping his ability to win support from
superdelegates who are likely to cast the deciding votes in the
Democratic race.
Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa said he decided to endorse Obama even
though his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, has been creating
waves by making controversial statements and suggesting that Obama
secretly agrees with him. Obama denounced Wright in a news
conference Tuesday and said the pastor does not speak for him.
"That's been one of the most frustrating things about this
prolonged campaign, is we seemed to have gotten away from the
critical issues that started this campaign during the Iowa caucuses
and now it's more about the side spectacle than the issues that
voters really care about," Braley said. "I'm confident that he
has taken this issue head-on. He has addressed it in a thoughtful
and enlightened way."
Superdelegates are nearly 800 elected leaders and Democratic
party officials who aren't bound by the outcome of state contests
and can cast their ballot for any candidate at the national
convention. They are especially valuable in this race since neither
Clinton nor Obama can get enough delegates to win the nomination
through the primaries and caucuses held across the country.
Obama now leads in the delegate count overall 1731.5 to 1598.5
for Clinton. A candidate needs 2,025 delegates to win the
nomination. About 230 superdelegates remain undecided, and about 60
more will be selected at state party conventions and meetings
throughout the spring.
Clinton had stalled in drawing their support as Obama won more
states than she, but Clinton won Pennsylvania last week and has
been able to announce a new supporter every day this week - two on
Wednesday.
The Clinton campaign said Luisette Cabanas, vice chair of the
Democratic Committee in Puerto Rico, came on board while the
candidate's daughter Chelsea was campaigning on the island. Cabanas
cited Clinton's policies, especially on health care, as "the best
by far of any candidate in history."
"Today I endorse Hillary Clinton for president because of her
strong win in Pennsylvania," Cabanas said in a statement. "She
has shown a firm conviction and the character needed to lead the
nation."
Capps said it wasn't an easy decision to pick between Obama and
Clinton. She has family ties to both candidates - Obama's spokesman
is married to her daughter, Laura Burton Capps, who also worked in
the Clinton White House.
Lois Capps filled the congressional seat held by her late
husband, Walter Capps, when he died suddenly 10 years ago. Bill
Clinton had campaigned for Walter Capps and presided over his
congressional memorial service.
Capps said Hillary Clinton would be a great president and fill a
dream for those who have fought for women's rights. But she said
Obama's call for a change in Washington was the most important
factor in winning her support.
"Walter once said that 'we are strongest as people when we are
directed by that which unites us, rather than giving into the
fears, suspicions, innuendoes and paranoias that divide,"' she
said in a statement. "For years I have been waiting for a
president that speaks to that vision. I believe Barack Obama may
very well be that rare leader."
Two of the most important superdelegates to sign on this week
come from the states that vote next - North Carolina and Indiana,
which hold primaries on May 6 and are the largest states left to
vote. Obama got the support of Rep. Baron Hill of Indiana, while
Clinton won the backing of North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley even
though Obama is expected to win the state.