Even though Bill Clinton won four primaries on Tuesday even though many of them concede there is probably no stopping Mr. Clinton now dozens of Democratic senators and representatives remain reluctant to endorse him.
Of 264 Superdelegates in the House and Senate, 93, or 35 percent, have endorsed Mr. Clinton so far, according to a continuing survey by The New York Times. Most are Southern, and most made their statements some time ago. A much larger number remain officially uncommitted.
"The voters haven't embraced Clinton, so I don't see any reason why I should endorse him," Mr. Eckart said. Look at the exit polls. People have terrible doubts about this guy, and we're talking about Democrats."
Ronald H. Brown, the party chairman, has been phoning uncommitted delegates and others... He denied putting pressure on anybody, but others in the party said he was sending a subtle but clear message that it was time to halt the squabbling.
The Clinton campaign pointed out that Michael S. Dukakis was in much the same situation four years ago, and won easily on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention. But the reluctance in 1988 stemmed mainly from unwillingness to offend Jesse Jackson, who was still an active candidate; this year it stems largely from fears about Mr. Clinton's weakness, not from any fear of angering Edmund G. Brown Jr., Mr. Clinton's only active rival. 'Clinton May Self-Destruct'
A prominent Senator, who also asked not to be identified, added, "lots of people are hearing from home, 'Keep it open, even if the odds make it look impossible,' because Clinton may self-destruct before the convention."...
Original story written by R. W. Apple Jr., and published by New York Times April 10, 1992