A Good Day for Obama

4/2/2008, 8:22 p.m. EDT By DEVLIN BARRETT and BETH FOUHY

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sen. Barack Obama was endorsed Wednesday by a labor union and two Democratic superdelegates, as a poll showed he has cut Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead in Pennsylvania almost in half since mid-February as he strives to deny her a resounding victory in the state's presidential primary.

The Illinois senator peeled off an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has endorsed Clinton. The Philadelphia-based local of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees has about 16,000 members.

Its president, Henry Nicholas, announced the endorsement while introducing Obama at a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.

Nicholas, who also is president of the 150,000-member national union and an AFSCME international vice president, said he took the step "because justice told me it was the right position to take."

Meanwhile, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and former Montana Sen. John Melcher endorsed Obama. As superdelegates to the national convention, they are among the Democratic Party leaders who will decide the nomination because, although Obama leads Clinton in delegates, neither candidate can win solely with pledged delegates they've won through primaries and caucuses. Obama handily won Wyoming's March 8 caucus; Montana holds a Democratic primary June 3.

Since last Friday, Obama has cut Clinton's lead among superdelegates by four; she has 250 to his 220.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to Endorse Obama

Sen. Amy Klobuchar will announce Monday morning that she is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for president, a source familiar with her plans said Sunday night.

Klobuchar, one of Minnesota's three uncommitted Democratic superdelegates, has indicated in the past that she was leaning toward Obama over his opponent, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the race for the nomination.

Earlier this month Klobuchar told The New York Times: "Barack's impressive showing in our state is attractive to me," referring to the Illinois senator's victory in Minnesota's caucuses last month.

Klobuchar joins eight other Minnesota superdelegates who are supporting Obama: Reps. Jim Oberstar, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Betty McCollum and Democratic National Committee members Mee Moua, Ken Foxworth, Brian Melendez and Donna Cassutt.
Roger Buoen is a MinnPost managing editor.

More Obama Support

Obama Picks Up House Endorsements

Updated 2:15 p.m. - From the Washington Post: The Trail
By Shailagh Murray

Rep. John Larson today became the first senior member of the House Democratic leadership to endorse a presidential candidate, and his pick is Sen. Barack Obama. The Connecticut lawmaker, who serves as vice chairman of the House Democratic caucus, expects to campaign back home with Obama early next week, in advance of his state's Feb. 5 primary.

Also announcing for Obama this morning: Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), a close friend of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Eshoo joins another Californian and Pelosi pal, Rep. George Miller, on the Obama bandwagon. Rep. Xavier Becerra, an up-and-coming lawmaker from Los Angeles, is yet another Pelosi ally supporting Obama.

Pelosi has said firmly that she won't pick sides. But she sounded almost giddy talking about Ted Kennedy's support for the Illinois senator in an interview with her hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle (which also endorsed Obama). "Did you ever see anything like that?" Pelosi said. "Transferring the mantle from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. It was the most stunning thing. I mean, I couldn't take my eyes off it."

Reps. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also endorsed Obama today.