 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
By: Jim Davenport
(AP) -- Presidential candidate Barack Obama (web|news|bio) added another South Carolina superdelegate to those publicly voicing support for his White House run on Friday.
Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, a retired trucking company manager and state Democratic Party leader from Swansea, became the campaign's 269th superdelegate endorser as the Illinois senator closed a gap among those unpledged delegates with Hillary Rodham Clinton (web|news|bio), the campaign said.
The Associated Press count of superdelegates Friday had Obama with 271 to Clinton's 271.5.
On Friday, Jeffcoat said he had been leaning toward and supporting Obama since the Jan. 26 South Carolina primary.
He said he'd quietly been backing and communicating with Obama's campaign since the Illinois senator's 55 percent to 26 percent win over Clinton here. Obama's win Tuesday in North Carolina prompted Jeffcoat to go public.
"I would say he's got it." Jeffcoat said. "What they're saying is Hillary cannot catch up to him as far as delegates are concerned."
Ending the contest now is good for everyone and will prevent harsh campaigning. "We just don't want to hurt the candidates and the party," Jeffcoat said.
Just one day earlier, Jeffcoat told The Associated Press he was leaning toward a candidate. However, he said he would withhold his endorsement until the primaries were over.
"The process hasn't run its course yet," Jeffcoat said.
He said he'd come out for a candidate earlier if Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean called a meeting of superdelegates to force an end to the process before the convention.
South Carolina has eight superdelegates. Jeffcoat, a state party vice chairman, State Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler and outgoing DNC Committeeman Waring Howe have endorsed Obama. Don Fowler, a national committeeman and Carol Fowler's husband, and Marva Smalls, a Dean appointee, have both endorsed Clinton.
U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn and John Spratt and state Rep. Gilda-Cobb Hunter have not declared their chosen candidates.
Spratt has said he's leaning toward Obama. Clyburn said Wednesday he wants to see the contest carried through the primaries and he won't likely endorse before they are complete. Cobb-Hunter said she is waiting for that, too.
ABC News 4 to leave comments on news stories.