Obama Heads for Superdelegate Edge

[Emillereid]

Obama Heads for Superdelegate Edge
Candidate Benefits
From Calculations
Of Elected Officials
By JACKIE CALMES
April 29, 2008; Page A4

Despite his loss in Pennsylvania and other campaign bumps, Barack Obama is heavily favored to win what will be the final and decisive contest for the Democratic presidential nomination -- the "invisible primary" for the convention votes of party leaders.

The reasons say a lot about these superdelegates' calculations for the November elections -- the presidential one, or their own.

The 795 superdelegates, who can vote for any nominee, fall into one of two groups -- the elected and the unelected.

Sen. Obama has taken the lead among elected officials, and Monday got the endorsement of New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman, though Sen. Hillary Clinton will counter Tuesday with a commitment from Gov. Mike Easley, whose North Carolina holds the next primary. Sen. Clinton still leads by double digits among nonelected national and state party officials, but her edge has been narrowing. more at link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120942916625251325.html?mod=googlenews_wsj