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 Obama expands delegate lead
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Democrat Barack Obama expanded his fragile lead in delegates over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, picking up nine delegates as Iowa activists took the next step in picking delegates to the national convention.
More than half the 14 delegates allocated to John Edwards on the basis of caucus night projections switched Saturday to Obama.
Iowa Democratic Party officials said that with all of the delegates picked, Obama claimed 52 percent of the delegates elected at county conventions, compared with 32 percent for Clinton. Some of the delegates picked at Saturday's conventions were sticking with Edwards, even though he's dropped from the race since Iowa held its caucuses in January.
Democratic Party projections said the results mean Obama increased by nine the number of delegates he collects from the state, getting a total of 25 compared with 14 for Clinton and six for Edwards.
Twelve automatic delegates bring the state's total to 57. Obama has been endorsed by four of those and Clinton three, with the remainder uncommitted.
Also Saturday, California's Democratic Party finalized the delegate counts from its Feb. 5 primary. Clinton picked up two more pledged delegates, raising her state total to 204; Obama gained five, raising his figure to 166.
Counting Saturday's new figures from Iowa and California, an Associated Press delegate tally showed Obama with 1,617 delegates and Clinton with 1,498.
Obama won Iowa's precinct caucuses in January with 39 percent of the vote, with Edwards narrowly edging Clinton to finish second. Projections on caucus night showed Obama getting 16 delegates, compared with 15 for Clinton and 14 for Edwards.
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Clinton backs Michigan revote plan
SCRANTON, Penn. (AP) -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton says she supports an effort by Michigan Democrats to hold a new primary in June.
"It needs to get resolved and hopefully Michigan by the end of this week will have done that," Clinton told reporters Saturday on her campaign plane between stops in Pennsylvania. "I think they are moving in an appropriate direction to have a revote."
Under a plan being finalized by several Democratic members of Congress and other party leaders in Michigan, the state would hold a new primary in early June
-- most likely on June 3 -- that would allow its delegates to be seated at the party's national convention this summer in Denver. The state Legislature is expected to take up the matter next week.
The Democratic National Committee punished Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries before Feb. 5, stripping them of all their delegates. The two states have been struggling to come up with alternative plans, but Michigan appears closer to resolving the matter.
Clinton won the Michigan primary on Jan. 15 and has said she would like those results to stand. But Obama removed his name from the ballot after the DNC stripped the state of delegates for moving up its primary and did not campaign there.
Clinton also won Florida's primary on Jan. 29, where both candidates names were on the ballot but neither campaigned in the state at the request of the DNC.
"I feel really strongly about it," Clinton said. "The 2.5 million people (in Michigan and Florida) who voted deserve to be counted. If it were my preference, we'd count their votes but if not, then they should have the opportunity to have a full-fledged primary waged for them and revote."
Obama currently leads Clinton among overall delegates and his campaign has been openly skeptical of Clinton's eagerness to seat the delegations from the two disputed states. Spokesman Tommy Vietor Saturday said the campaign was open to a "fair and practical" resolution of the conflict.
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Pelosi's delegate stance boosts Obama
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it would be damaging to the Democratic party for its leaders to buck the will of national convention delegates picked in primaries and caucuses, a declaration that gives a boost to Sen. Barack Obama.
"If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic party," Pelosi said in an interview taped Friday for broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
The California Democrat did not mention either Obama or his rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, by name. But her remarks seemed to suggest she was prepared to cast her ballot at the convention in favor of the candidate who emerges from the primary season with the most pledged delegates.
Obama leads Clinton by 142 pledged delegates -- those delegates picked in nomination contests to date, in The Associated Press' count.
Barring an unlikely string of landslide victories by the former first lady in the remaining states, he will end the primary season with a delegate lead, but short of the 2025 needed to win the nomination.
That gives the balance of power to the so-called superdelegates, prominent Democrats who are automatically entitled to attend the convention because of their status as members of Congress or other leaders. Clinton leads Obama for their support in the AP count, 249-213.
Pelosi's comments could influence other House Democrats who are neutral in the presidential race and will attend the convention as superdelegates.
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THE DEMOCRATS
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama had no events scheduled Sunday.
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THE REPUBLICANS
John McCain is overseas on a congressional trip.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"The reality is we are united on one thing today, we are Democrats, we are proud Democrats and we are going to elect a Democratic president."
-- Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.
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STAT OF THE DAY:
Roughly six in 10 Democratic voters in the March 4 primaries said "superdelegates"
-- party leaders and elected officials who get to cast votes at the party nominating convention this summer in Denver
-- should vote based on results of the primaries and caucuses rather than for the candidate they think has the best chance to win in November, according to exit polls of voters in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.
[Associated
Press]
Compiled by Ann Sanner and Ronald Powers.
Copyright 2008 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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