More "Super" News For Obama
Hillary Clinton's superdelegate lead over Barack Obama has narrowed to just five in the latest CBS News delegate count.
His latest pickups? American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage, whose 600,000 member union officially endorsed Obama as well; New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne, who had previously supported Clinton; and Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio.
"I believe he represents our best hope of winning in November, and puts the needs and priorities of hard working Americans ahead of the powerful special interests that have been extraordinarily favored by the Bush-Cheney administration," DeFazio said in a statement. The congressman will campaign with Obama in Oregon, which is holding a May 20th primary.
Gage, meanwhile, suggested that Obama would be stronger than Clinton in "bringing along some of the downticket races."
The news wasn't all good for the Democratic frontrunner: Superdelegate Chris Carney, a representative from a conservative Pennsylvania district that broke for Clinton in the state's primary last month, has endorsed the New York senator. Carney told the Associated Press he made the choice in an effort to "respect" the will of those in his district.
The support of Sacramento, California superdelegate Steven Ybarra, meanwhile, remains up for grabs – though he's willing to sell it to the highest bidder. The cost? A cool $20 million.
CBS 13 reports that "Ybarra wants every cent of the $20 million to go towards registering and educating eligible Mexican-American voters, who he calls the key to the White House."
Asked if he would accept $5 million instead, Ybarra responded: "No, $5 million is nothing."
UPDATE: And another super goes to Obama: California DNC Member Ed Espinoza. The gap between Obama and Clinton now sits at 4 superdelegates.
"[Obama] has shown he has the character to lead our great nation, from his choice to spend his career serving people in the poorest communities in Chicago to his commitment to speaking truth to the American people, even when it isn't politically convenient to do so," Espinoza said in a release put out by the Obama campaign.