Saturday Endorsement Round-up

South Carolina and Maryland picked add-on delegates today to round out their complements of superdelegates. In SC, Inez Tenenbaum was selected based on her support for Obama. In MD, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Parris Glendening, who respectively support Clinton and Obama, were chosen.

In New Mexico, party chair Brian Colon announced his support for Obama.

And in Guam, where the candidates tied for pledged delegates, 2-2, Pilar Lujan and Jaime Paulino were elected party chair and vice-chair, thereby becoming superdelegates. Paulino is an Obama supporter, and Lujan has said her vote will go to the winner of the Guam caucus. Barring an outcome-changing recount, then, Obama picks up two superdelegates in Guam.

The totals for the day are Obama +5 unpledged delegates, Clinton +1, with each picking up 2 pledged delegates. Obama’s margin is slightly increased, but equally important, the available delegate pool has once again shrunk, leaving Clinton needing a still-higher proportion of remaining delegates to win.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on the massive pressure being placed on some DC-area supers, many of whom are being lobbied not only by the candidates and campaigns but by random people in grocery stores and on the street. Because clearly what they lack is a sense of urgency or responsibility about this choice.

One endorsement not affecting the delegate count but reflecting a possible opinion swing is that of Friends of the Earth, which endorsed Obama today due to Clinton’s support for a “gas tax holiday.” A Siegel identifies Clinton’s aggressively flawed position on that issue as one with the potential to push some environmentalists off the fence.

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