Apr 19, 2008 10:15 pm US/Eastern
Clinton Picks Up 2 New Superdelegates
New Jersey's two newest Democratic superdelegates have pledged their support to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Former Govs. Jim Florio and Brendan Byrne were chosen Thursday for the at-large superdelegate slots, the last two of New Jersey's 20 superdelegates to be selected.
Both men said they would support Clinton at the Democratic National Convention, the New York senator announced Friday.
"I am supporting Hillary," Florio said Friday. "She clearly carried New Jersey by a substantial margin, so it's an easy decision to make." Byrne did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman Joe Cryan chose Florio and Byrne. Cryan is a superdelegate who supports Clinton.
As of Friday, 13 of New Jersey's superdelegates had endorsed Clinton, four supported Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and three were uncommitted.
Clinton topped Obama in New Jersey's Feb. 5 primary by about 10 percentage points. The two are now locked in a tight battle for the Democratic nomination, which could be decided by the superdelegates, who are not bound by the primary vote results. There will be more than 800 superdelegates at the party's convention in Denver this summer.
Obama has been arguing for months that the superdelegates would be overturning the will of the voters if they don't nominate the candidate who has won the most pledged delegates. He has a 164-delegate lead in that category. Clinton, meanwhile, has argued that superdelegates should exercise independent judgment.
"I am grateful for the support of both former New Jersey governors," Clinton said in a statement Friday.
Much of New Jersey's Democratic establishment has rallied behind Clinton's candidacy.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine, a former colleague of Clinton in the U.S. Senate, has campaigned for her in several states. At one point, he volunteered to help raise money so the primaries in Florida and Michigan could be done over.
While Florio said he believes it's appropriate for him to support Clinton, he said he'd have "no difficulty" supporting Obama if he got the nomination.
A message seeking comment from Cryan was not immediately returned Friday.
