Obama momentum mounts in Democratic White House race

by Jo Biddle Fri May 9, 5:13 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Barack Obama's White House drive picked up pace Friday with more superdelegates rallying to his side, as former rival John Edwards all but endorsed his campaign.

Since Obama's convincing win in North Carolina on Tuesday over rival Hillary Clinton and their photo-finish finale in Indiana, 12 more of the Democratic Party elite with free votes on the nomination contest have swung over to the Illinois senator, including seven on Friday alone.

The trickle of support is predicted to turn into a flood, with only six primaries now left in their marathon battle to carry the party's flag into the November presidential elections against Republican John McCain.

Edwards, who dropped out of the close race in late January, stopped short of endorsing Obama on Friday, but said he has virtually wrapped up the contest, ahead of the last primaries on June 3.

"Let's just assume that Barack is the nominee because it's headed in that direction," he told NBC television.

He added he thought Obama, who is on a historic quest to be the country's first black president, also had a "better chance" to beat McCain.

While the former first lady had fought a good campaign, "the problem is the numbers," Edwards said, referring to the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the party's nomination.

Clinton, who is also seeking to make history by being the first woman elected to the Oval Office, trails Obama in the number of pledged delegates to the party's nominating convention in August.

And while she still holds the lead in the number of superdelegates, whose votes will be decisive in who wins the party nomination, Obama is hot on her heels.

Independent pollsters RealClearPolitics.com on Friday put Obama ahead with 1,854 delegates, including 265 superdelegates, compared to 1,696 for Clinton, who has pocketed some 272 superdelegates.

That leaves more than 250 superdelegates still uncommitted, at least publicly.

Seven superdelegates came out of the woodwork for Obama on Friday, including one who defected from Clinton's side, New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne.

"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," Payne told the Newark Star-Ledger.

Two other members of Congress, Oregon's Peter DeFazio and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, threw their support behind Obama.

He also won the support of superdelegates Ed Espinoza, a Democratic National Committee member from California, Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, the Democratic Party vice chair in South Carolina, and Laurie Weahkee, lead organizer for the Native American Voters Alliance.

In addition, Obama picked up the support of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents some 600,000 government workers, and its president John Gage, a superdelegate.

"Our people were impressed by the vitality, enthusiasm and broad-reaching campaign of Senator Obama," Gage told AFP, adding he had also been impressed by Obama's grass roots, high-tech organization.

"We think the country needs change and we think now is the time."

He admitted it had been an "excruciatingly hard" decision, but hoped the union's backing would help sway others and bring the party's longest-ever nominating race to a swift end.

Clinton, however, has vowed no surrender and plunged straight back into campaigning before the May 13 primary in West Virginia, where she is favored in polls. On Friday she was in Oregon, which will hold its primary along with Kentucky on May 20.

Obama has said he could declare victory after the May 20 primaries which may put him over the top, in terms of elected delegates.

In that event, "we can make a pretty strong claim that we have got the most runs and it's the ninth inning and we have won," Obama said Thursday, using a baseball analogy.