Boise News

Presidential Politics: Idaho

Idaho Superdelegates United for Obama

By Jill Kuraitis, 5-12-08

Obama in Boise in February - photo by Andrew Kuraitis

Idaho State Democratic Chair Keith Roark, who is a superdelegate to the Democratic convention, announced today he will vote for Senator Barack Obama.

“The unprecedented enthusiasm Senator Obama has generated here in Idaho is unlike anything I have seen in my 31 years of active political participation in this State.  He has captured the imagination and mint fresh optimism of young voters from Coeur d’Alene to Caldwell, from Murphy to Montpelier, from Twin Falls to Idaho Falls.  I firmly believe that the critical process of rebuilding the Idaho Democratic Party will receive a once in a lifetime boost from Senator Obama’s candidacy,” Roark said.

“I believe that both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are exceptionally gifted leaders who can and will begin immediately to undo the damage that eight years of the unholy Bush-Cheney-Rove trinity has brought to our country.  Both candidates are vastly superior to the presumptive Republican nominee” and his hesitation to define his vote was about who was the better campaigner. “My lingering concerns about Senator Obama’s ability to take hard punches and keep going were laid to rest with the results of the primary contests last week in North Carolina and Indiana.”

All four of Idaho’s superdelegates now support Obama.

On the heels of Roark’s announcement, a press release from the Obama campaign arrived with this:

“Big news today: for the first time since this campaign began, Barack Obama has taken the lead among superdelegates.

We’ve won more elected delegates, more states, and more votes than Senator Clinton. But until yesterday we trailed among Governors, Members of Congress, and Democratic Party leaders—the so-called “superdelegates” who have a vote in the nominating process.

As it stands, we have 281 superdelegates who have committed to cast their convention votes for us. That includes 23 since last Tuesday’s elections, and 3 who switched their support from Senator Clinton.

We have just 150 delegates to go before Barack Obama clinches the nomination.”

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