MinnPost.com's political coverage also appears on Midwest Politics, a free subscriber service for politicos looking for one-stop shopping of political news from around the Midwest.

 

ERIC BLACK INK

  • Switch to Small Text Size
  • Switch to Medium Text Size
  • Switch to Large Text Size
Recommend to a friend Print Submit a Comment

    The superdelegates are swinging

    Possibly the most obsessive tracker of Democratic delegates is a website called Demconwatch (DCW).

    DCW is counting every jot and tittle of the Obama-Clinton race for delegates. Over the last two weeks, with no new primaries or caucuses, DCW has shown Obama gaining ground by picking up new commitments from superdelegates at a much greater rate than Clinton. I had certainly noticed this trend, but the numbers are impressive as voters head to the polls today in four states, including the major battlegrounds of Ohio and Texas.

    After Super Tuesday, Obama pulled into the lead among pledged delegates, but Clinton still held the overall lead because she led by almost 100 in the race among superdelegates.

     

     

    This DCW graphic below tells the tale starkly. While Obama surged to a commanding lead among pledged delegates, he has also cut Clinton's lead among superdelegates by more than half. By DCW's count, the lead shrunk to 47. 


    Source: Demconwatch


    Not only have most superdelegates who have committed recently endorsed Obama, but a few who had earlier announced their support for Clinton have reneged, either moving to Obama or to uncommitted.

    DCW lists every new superdelegate commitment over the past several weeks and the date on which they became aware of it. On this page (you have to scroll down to just above the comments) DCW finds that since Feb. 22 Obama has outgained Clinton among superdelegates by 23 to 4.

    (By the way, in case you missed it last week, Obama's surge in that period included the endorsement of Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez and Associate Chair Donna Cassutt. That brings the Minnesota superdelegate count to 8-3 in favor of Obama.)

    Of course, 370 more pledged delegates will be chosen based on today's primaries, and I'm not dumb enough to speculate on how that will shake up the race. If Clinton has a good night and announces that she will stay on until the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, the next thing to watch will be whether the remaining uncommitted superdelegates decide to force the issue.

    Election '08 | Tue, Mar 4 2008 10:02 am

    4 Comments: Hide/Show Comments

    4 Comment: Hide/Show Comment

    0 Comments:

    Post a comment:

    To post a comment, please log in below as a registered commenter.

    E-mail address

    Password

     

    Forgot Password? | Register to Comment

    MinnPost does not permit the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment. User comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure that comments meet these standards and adhere to MinnPost's terms of use and privacy policy.

    We intend for this area to be used by our readers as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion. In order to achieve this, MinnPost requires that all commenters register and post comments with their actual names and place of residence. Register here to comment.

    Eric Black
    Eric Black Ink

    minnpost.com/ericblack



    Eric Black is a former reporter for the Star Tribune and Twin Cities blogger. He writes about politics and government of Minnesota and the United States, the historical background of topics and other issues. Click here to view Eric's previous postings at former blog, Eric Black Ink. He can be reached at eblack [at] minnpost [dot] com.

    Recent Posts by Eric Black