Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Must Read: Rep. Clyburn Speaks Out on Superdelegates

Excerpts from the Associated Press:

While Clyburn said he'd prefer superdelegates not announce their support until much later in the nominating process, he said he also doesn't agree with superdelegates shifting support from one candidate to another based on how their constituents vote in a primary or caucus.

Clyburn said superdelegates are not in place simply to mirror the popular vote. "I don't think people are really thinking through what they're saying," he said.

It takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination - a number Clyburn said Friday he didn't think either candidate will be able to reach before the convention. The August convention in Denver is where the superdelegates will have their say, he said.

"Nobody is going to have 2,000 votes when this is over," Clyburn said. "The superdelegates are there to provide the rest of those votes. That's why we were supposed to be unpledged."

Below is the full text of the AP story:

Clyburn: Superdelegates should keep quiet on candidate support

By Meg Kinnard

Associated Press Writer

Published Friday, February 15, 2008

Columbia, S.C. - House Majority Leader Jim Clyburn said Friday some of his fellow Democratic Party superdelegates have been too quick to endorse presidential candidates and said he disagrees with those who base their support on election and caucus results.

"We're supposed to be unpledged delegates," Clyburn said during a discussion with reporters. "We are not supposed to be pledged."

Clyburn has not said which Democrat he supports for the White House. He is one of the party's superdelegates - the people who are not assigned to a candidate based on primary or caucus success, unlike normal delegates.

Clyburn, the third highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, said he thinks superdelegates should wait to announce their support for candidates until closer to the nominating convention. He said the historical role of a superdelegate is in part to be ready to act in case of an emergency, like to throw support behind a runner-up in case a front-runner cannot continue after the convention.

"We're supposed to be playing the role of being there as a safety valve, if something were to go wrong," Clyburn said. "They are there to make whatever midcourse correction needs to be made, and that's the role that we're supposed to play."

As of Thursday, the overall delegate count stood at 1,276 for Barack Obama and 1,220 for Hillary Rodham Clinton, though she leads in superdelegate support.

While Clyburn said he'd prefer superdelegates not announce their support until much later in the nominating process, he said he also doesn't agree with superdelegates shifting support from one candidate to another based on how their constituents vote in a primary or caucus.

He addressed the issue several days after a former Clinton supporter announced his intent to vote for Obama at the Democratic National Convention. Georgia Rep. David Scott said he felt compelled to change his allegiance after more than 80 percent of his district voted for the Illinois senator in the Feb. 5 Georgia primary.

Clyburn said superdelegates are not in place simply to mirror the popular vote. "I don't think people are really thinking through what they're saying," he said.

It takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination - a number Clyburn said Friday he didn't think either candidate will be able to reach before the convention. The August convention in Denver is where the superdelegates will have their say, he said.

"Nobody is going to have 2,000 votes when this is over," Clyburn said. "The superdelegates are there to provide the rest of those votes. That's why we were supposed to be unpledged."

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