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The Washington Post reports that Obama picked up three more superdelegates today. Now, Obama needs only 164 more delegates to secure the nomination...
Sen. Barack Obama picked up an endorsement Friday morning from the union representing federal employees -- and the personal support of its president, a superdelegate to this summer's Democratic convention.
Two Democratic lawmakers also announced they would cast their votes as superdelegates for Obama, further solidifying his lead over New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the battle to become the Democratic presidential nominee.
"Senator Obama has proven he is able to energize young Americans, independents and even moderate Republicans to support his candidacy," Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said in a statement. "I believe he represents our best hope of winning in November."
In New Jersey, Rep. Donald M. Payne told the Newark Star-Ledger he was switching his support from Clinton to Obama. The congressman told the newspaper his decision was extremely difficult and said he had been "mulling it over for quite a while."
Superdelegates are proving crucial to deciding who will win the hard-fought contest to oppose Republican John McCain in the race for the White House this fall.
Although Clinton enjoyed a substantial lead in superdelegate support earlier in the primary season, Obama has gained steadily as he has won a larger share of the popular vote and more primary contests than his rival.
John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said that both Clinton and Obama are "dear friends of ours," but that union leaders were ultimately more impressed by what they saw as Obama's energy and enthusiasm.
"We always knew that the Democrats had good candidates," Gage said. "We didn't realize how good -- that it would be very difficult to choose between them."
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UPDATE:
Chicago, IL – Today, California DNC Member and superdelegate Ed Espinoza endorsed Barack Obama, citing his judgment, character, and ability to unite our country for change.
Espinoza is the 268th superdelegate to endorse Barack Obama. Obama is 163 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.
Espinoza said, “I am endorsing Barack Obama today because throughout this process I have seen him show a judgment and character that we need in our next president. From day one he opposed the Iraq war and has a plan to end the war in a responsible way and bring our sons and daughters home. He 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. To unify the country at this time in our history we need a president who has these qualities, and that is why I am proud to endorse him today. My good friend Bill Richardson, who backed Obama some weeks ago, knows what it takes to lead and I trust his judgment in this decision as well. I look forward to working with this great movement to bring victory in November.”