Illinois superdelegates say presidential race must continue
SPRINGFIELD -- Key Illinois Democrats said Wednesday that party leaders shouldn't try to force an end to the presidential nomination battle, even though several see virtually no chance of Hillary Rodham Clinton catching up in the vital delegate race.
The state's superdelegates are almost unanimous in backing Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and they're sticking with him even though Obama lost three out of four primaries Tuesday.
Several noted that Obama leads Clinton in the overall popular vote, number of states won and total delegates earned. Calculations by The Associated Press gives Obama a 105-delegate edge.
"It's impossible for her to catch up in delegates, and it's delegates that affect the nomination," said Senate President Emil Jones of Chicago.
But even Jones stopped short of saying Clinton should drop out. "That's not for me to say," he said.
One of the state's few undecided superdelegates, Chicago Rep. Dan Lipinski, said he thinks the eventual nominee will benefit from the protracted battle.
"I think it's probably better if there's going to be any issues with either of our candidates that they come up now. In some ways, it will make whoever is the nominee stronger," Lipinski said.
Margaret Blackshere, former head of the Illinois AFL-CIO, said she'd like to see the primary battle end soon, but doubts it will happen. She predicted it will continue at least through next month's primary in Pennsylvania.
Blackshere urged Clinton to avoid harsh attacks that Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, might use against Obama if he wins the nomination. "I don't think the Clinton campaign ought to be giving ammunition to the McCain campaign," she said.
The Illinois Democratic chairman, House Speaker Michael Madigan, wouldn't discuss the nomination process, said spokesman Steve Brown. But Brown said Madigan supports letting the process continue and predicted that McCain can't beat Clinton or Obama.
Superdelegates are high-level Democrats who can vote however they want at the nominating convention and could swing the nomination to either candidate.
Obama's campaign argues superdelegates should support the candidate who comes out of the primaries with the most regular delegates and popular support.
"The process should continue so as to let the people vote. The voters should decide and the superdelegates should ratify -- not nullify -- the votes of the people," said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a superdelegate and national co-chair of Obama's presidential campaign.
Clinton, with political and personal ties to many superdelegates, argues they are meant to use personal judgment, regardless of the popular vote.
Superdelegate Carol Ronen, a former state senator, said an Obama-Clinton ticket might be the best resolution.
"That would solve everybody's problems wouldn't it?" she said, laughing. "I'm not sure it's going to happen but it would be a beautiful thing."
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