Posted on Thu, May. 08, 2008

State's superdelegates urged to pick and repick

UNDECIDEDS HOLDING OUT UNTIL PRIMARY RESULTS ARE IN

By Ryan Alessi

RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM

FRANKFORT --

Kentucky's Democratic superdelegates are holding firm in their positions after the North Carolina and Indiana primary results, although one prominent supporter of U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said pressure is being applied to that group to end the campaign soon.

The eight known superdelegates Kentucky will send to August's Democratic National Convention remain split: three for Clinton, two for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and three undeclared.

On Wednesday -- the day after Clinton edged Obama in Indiana but lost by 14 points in North Carolina's primary -- one of Clinton's staunchest Kentucky supporters and superdelegate, Terry McBrayer, said a movement is afoot among the "big boys" in Washington to end the battle before the convention in Denver.

Superdelegates, who are state party leaders and elected officials, are at the center of that effort because they can choose to vote in the convention for the candidate of their choice regardless of primary results. The national Democratic Party has 795 such superdelegates, of which more than 250 remain neutral.

"I've gotten calls from everybody on both sides trying to bring some resolution to it," McBrayer said. "There's some power politics going on. There's a lot of effort going on right now inside the beltway."

He said undecided and undeclared superdelegates, especially Democratic members of Congress, are under immense pressure to pick a side, while some others are being asked to switch allegiance.

McBrayer said he won't.

"I was one of the very first superdelegates to pledge to Hillary. I have a hard time dealing with people who switch their loyalties for political gain," McBrayer said. "If it works out, that's wonderful. If it doesn't, then it's time for Obama."

He conceded that "mathematically its extremely difficult" for Clinton to lock up the nomination with six primary contests left to go and Obama leading in the overall delegate count.

Fellow Clinton-backing superdelegate Moretta Bosley said she doesn't plan to change unless Obama wins Kentucky's May 20 primary.

"I'm an elected delegate to the National Democratic Executive Committee and I feel I need to do what the majority of Kentucky Democrats say," she said.

Three other superdelegates -- Gov. Steve Beshear, state party Chairman Jennifer Moore and Vice Chairman Nathan Smith -- have said they will remain neutral until after the primary election.

"Both candidates have tried to speak with Gov. Beshear and Jennifer Moore and Nathan Smith," said U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, one of the superdelegates for Obama. "So far, they've been pretty steadfast in remaining uncommitted."

But Yarmuth said a network of Kentucky elected officials who have endorsed Obama provides an argument for the undecided superdelegates to go Obama's way.

"That's important in terms of showing these uncommitted superdelegates they will have support from these other elected officials if they do it," he said.

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