Kucinich To Iowa Supporters: If Not Me, Go With Obama

Long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich may have just done Barack Obama a favor, publicly telling his supporters that, if he doesn't reach the "viability threshold" at any caucus site, his supporter should regroup under Obama's banner.

CBS News political consultant Marc Ambinder passes along Kucinich's statement: "I hope Iowans will caucus for me as their first choice this Thursday, because of my singular positions on the war, on health care, and trade," Kucinich said. "This is an opportunity for people to stand up for themselves. But in those caucus locations where my support doesn't reach the necessary threshold, I strongly encourage all of my supporters to make Barack Obama their second choice. Sen. Obama and I have one thing in common: Change."

Democratic Party rules require a candidate to meet a certain support level, usually 15 percent, from those attending a caucus meeting for it to count in determining delegates. Supporters for candidates who don't meet that threshold are required to switch to a more viable contender.

This isn't the first time Kucinich has arranged for his supporters to go elsewhere -- in 2004, the Kucinich and John Edwards campaigns arranged for their supporters to join each other's groups if one of them didn't hit the viability threshold.

In the latest Des Moines Register poll, Kucinich had the support of only 1 percent of likely caucus-goers, so the impact of this announcement is hard to determine, especially since smaller, rural caucus sites -- where one Kucinich supporter could compose a large percentage of the crowd -- have a disproportionate impact on the overall results.