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Obama Now Takes The Lead in Superdelegates Too

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May 09, 2008 6:19 AM

ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton's support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate. 

Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised.

Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., switched his endorsement from Clinton to Obama and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., endorsed Obama. DeFazio was previously uncommitted.

With these endorsements, Obama has the support of 267 superdelegates and Clinton has 265 superdelegates.

Every news organization's superdelegate count is a little different because it is an imperfect science. Since October 2007, the Political Unit has continuously reached out to the nearly 800 superdelegates to determine their candidate preference. We also reach out regularly to the Obama and Clinton campaigns for their superdelegate lists and work to confirm any that they include on their lists.

Clinton’s advantage among superdelegates was once massive and has been dwindling steadily since Super Tuesday, when she was ahead by over 60 superdelegates.

Clinton’s institutional support from within the Democratic Party allowed her to build a commanding lead in superdelegates over Obama in the early part of this nomination battle.

Despite several rough weeks on the campaign trail, Obama has maintained momentum in picking up superdelegates. Obama has outpaced Clinton at every marker of this campaign since Super Tuesday -- after the controversial comments of Rev. Wright came out, after Clinton’s big win in Pennsylvania and after the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.

Below are the superdelegate tallies, as of this morning, from other news organizations:

ABC
OBAMA 267
CLINTON 265

CBS
CLINTON  271
OBAMA 261

CNN
CLINTON 268
OBAMA 258

NBC
CLINTON 274
OBAMA 260

AP
CLINTON 271.5
OBAMA 266

New York Times
CLINTON 263
OBAMA 258

Politico
CLINTON 268.5
OBAMA 260

Washington Post (uses AP statistics)
CLINTON 271
OBAMA 256

May 9, 2008 in Huckabee, Mike | Permalink | User Comments (328)

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Thank You Super Delegates! Let's all come together now...Democrats need to Unite and take the fight to McCain.

Posted by: JayRod | May 9, 2008 6:34:57 AM

Thanks, superdelagates, for giving us at least 4 years of McCain. Barack is not going to win the big states, and he will not win the GE. Unless he's got Hillary to help him. He better pray she'll help him, otherwise he can lose to McCain.

Thanks, supermorons, for giving us a democratic candidate who cannot win AGAIN.

Posted by: NoWay | May 9, 2008 6:43:09 AM

So much for the Republicans plans to use Paul vs Clinton to bury Hillery this fall. Now instead of going after Sen Clinton on the biggest case of fundraising fraud in history, they will be forced to go after Flag Pins and crazy ex-pastors.

Posted by: jim davis | May 9, 2008 6:47:42 AM

I'd love to hear the details of why ABC's numbers are different.

I think it is great news...and I am pretty sure this margin is just going to grow.

America every day now shows that she may be the country that the world thinks it is...not one that is entrenched in back door old school shadow governments that can't get ot of it's own way to destruction.

America might lead again. It might be okay to "buy American" again. It might be okay to stand up for America again in small villages and large national government halls across the world.

We might actually have a chance to get back on the right path...not this one we have been on for decades which led us here.

Posted by: dl | May 9, 2008 6:50:23 AM

Congrats to Obama. I hope he got a receipt.

Posted by: Carlos | May 9, 2008 6:54:49 AM

The other comments are funny. In Clinton supporters view on here...Suddenly the supers are dumber than they are... as a group...you know "the voters have been duped" ..."the supers are dumb snobby elitist"..."the media is biased toward Obama"..."people like McGovern and Kennedy and Gore and Kerry and Carter and Dodd are all just ultra left wing liberals"

can you hear yourselves... how do you think all these people are wrong and those small group of die hard clintonistas are the only ones right.

wake up...Obama is the better candidate...and in my opinion has been the better person. Period. ...and actually just to take this primary...the better fighter...

Posted by: dl | May 9, 2008 6:55:36 AM

Yesterday, Sen Obama met with uncommitted superdelegates. When he entered the room they cheered and many address him as "Mr. President." He will probably pick up the majority of superdelegates over the weekend. Clinton's pleged delegats are now abandoning her. Expect her to withdraw in the next few days. Hillary Clinton never did have many real political supporters among the electorate. She has fans. There's a big difference. Remember, fan is short for fanatic.

Posted by: Zinger | May 9, 2008 6:56:44 AM

My goodness, it seems some of the HCR suppoters are sore losers. Or maybe they're just bitter.

Posted by: Carol | May 9, 2008 6:56:55 AM

I believe that the writing is on the wall and I hope that this process will be over soon. It is very damaging to the DNC to keep this going. I support Senator Obama fr president 2008.

Posted by: Lou | May 9, 2008 7:01:34 AM

Thank God this guy says he's a democrat. He's like a force of nature chewing through anything that gets in his path. I don't think it's his change message that's pushing him to the top. It's his overall attractiveness & salesmanship qualities. If he's able to persuade 15 million voters even though he has an empty resume, then who knows what he could accomplish with other populations around the world? I vote democrat no matter who gets the nom.

Posted by: T. Wilson | May 9, 2008 7:02:51 AM

It is about time to end this nonsense and waste of time. Hillary because of her stuborness, is working for the republicans. Hillary should be stopped and also take off her mind that she would be in a ticket with Obama. I don't think that Obama will go against what has been the core of his message: eliminate the old politics...and Hillary is the best example of it.

Obama - for a new future in America.

Posted by: Mirko-FL | May 9, 2008 7:05:08 AM

It is interesting that ABC is the ONLY one to have Obama in the lead with superdels. I think the operative phrase in the article is "its an imperfect science". The ploy from the beginning was to have Obama win the nomination and then the republicans show him the door. His supporters have swallowed this hook, line and sinker. Now we will have another four years of McBush. How incredibly sad!

Posted by: Joanne | May 9, 2008 7:12:01 AM

To: 12345 -- Telling Hillary supporters that "they need to grow up" and then name calling them "idiots" will not build loyal support for Obama.

And by the way, although many Democrats in Pennsylvania said that they did not trust her, she won those same Pennsylvania Democrats by a near 10 point margin.

BOTTOMLINE: Respect others and campaign for Democratic leadership. Obama may win the nomination but he is still far away from winning the White House.

Posted by: C. Higman | May 9, 2008 7:16:27 AM

So what defines, "the better candidate?"

Perhaps it's the notion that something clean, fresh, and untarnished could possibly be interested in making the world a better place?

Perhaps it's the fact that I've seen politicians come and go all my life and they ARE tarnished and beaten down by what they percieve as hopelessness.

Perhaps all too late in life, I've realized that it's not Senator Obama that is making all this happen; no, it's me. I'm no longer too fed up with MY government to care.

Perhaps now I can sense that if Congress doesn't work to make my children's future a bit brighter, I'll go state to state to find a candidate who does care.

It's got to be all of us working together. It can't be, " they'll do it so I don't have to."

Hillary, if you are the woman you claim to be, if I can believe in all the things you stand for, not only as a Democrat, but as the caring noble woman you are, you'll offer another like yourself, the chance to succeed. Tell your ardent supporters, your friends, the citizens of this Country who believe in you, the people who live vicariously through you and all that you stand for; tell them to back a young, bright, Senator who deserves all the hope we can muster. He'll need it.

Posted by: DAVID NH | May 9, 2008 7:29:00 AM


To: Zinger -- Yes, Obama has had the political machine pumping up his candidacy. This is the same Democratic Congress which has a 12% approval rating. To many of us, having THEM decide is NOT a good thing. It means a few are deciding the election. This isn't democratic.

You call Hillary supporters "fanatics" when Obama supporters are throwing their panties on his stage, applauding when he sneezes, whistling when he wears blue jeans and purchasing his half uneaten lunches on eBay for hundreds of dollars.

You failed to mention the heart of America, the voters. Over 15 million of these voters have favored Clinton. The race is much closer in votes than the media wishes to reveal. This landslide of support is all smoke and mirrors. Unfortunately, the smoke won't clear until November 2008 when McCain SHOCKINGLY wins the GE.

Posted by: C. Higman | May 9, 2008 7:30:30 AM

DAVID NH:

Right On Brother! Best comment I've read in a while. Cudos my friend.

Posted by: David in Charlottesville, VA | May 9, 2008 7:32:58 AM

The Democrats would like this race between Obama and Clinton to be over but it will go to the convention floor. Hillary loves money and she would not have lent her campaign over 6 million dollars if she didn't have something up her sleeve.

Posted by: waggdogg | May 9, 2008 7:34:34 AM

If I can't have Hillary, then go McCain! Democrats for McCain

Posted by: kittyCat | May 9, 2008 7:48:01 AM

To: DAVID NH --

One become "tarnished" by fighting for causes that you believe in. That is why many Hillary supporters believe that SHE is the BEST candidate to lead America. She has battle scars & she enemies. She earned them fighting for the middle class.

To persuade Hillary supporters to vote for Obama, one should NOT use the argument because he is "young" or because he is "bright" - or because he gives you goosebumps bursting with hope.

Hillary HAS accomplished what Obama claims he wants to do -- she has created CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN -- she has CROSSED THE AISLE TO BUILD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

Obama offers a "fresh" promise while Hillary has repeatedly offered "bloody" proof.

Obama has yet to enter the meat grinder while Hillary has been ground to perfection for years. She's won our respect based on 15 years of intense scrutiny not 15 minutes of intense speech.

It will be a struggle convincing Hillary supporters that Obama is the "BEST" choice. We disagree.

Hillary MUST be on the Obama ticket. Then, Hillary voters would still be able to vote her into the White House. It's the only way to win back those 15 million lost votes. Obama must EMBRACE Hillary so we can embrace Obama.

Posted by: C. Higman | May 9, 2008 7:51:42 AM

Obama has to distance himself from Reverened Wright because white folks still in control. Once he is elected president things will change. The CIA and the military gonna have to stop experimenting on black folks and aids will eventually disappear. This is going to help our African brothers too. Billy Graham will be out Farakan and Wright will be in.

Posted by: Muhammed | May 9, 2008 8:03:52 AM

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