Pennsylvania primary won't sway superdelegates

[DeepModem Mom]

USA Today: Pa. primary won't sway superdelegates
By Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Dozens of uncommitted superdelegates with sway over the Democratic presidential nomination say Pennsylvania's primary on Tuesday won't be the decisive factor in their choice between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Instead, they told USA TODAY and Gannett News Service, they will choose by July 1, a deadline suggested by Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean. Superdelegates are party leaders and elected officials with an automatic vote at the national convention.

Donna Brazile, a member of the Democratic National Committee, plays down the Keystone State's importance. "Pennsylvania matters. But so do the other states that have voted or intend to vote over the next two months."

About 250 of nearly 800 superdelegates have not yet said whom they'll support for the Democratic nomination. USA TODAY and Gannett News Service tried to contact nearly 90% of the undecided and interviewed nearly a third in depth.

Neither Clinton nor Obama can get to the 2,025 delegates needed for the nomination just by winning the remaining primaries. That's why superdelegates, who aren't bound by voting results, are crucial. Dean has said he wants superdelegates to decide by July 1 to avoid a fight at the party's national convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver.

Obama has 1,645 delegates, according to the latest Associated Press tally, while Clinton has 1,504....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008...