DCCC Chair Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD) for Obama
"Now is the time for all of us to come together. I enthusiastically support Senator Obama. He will be our nominee, and now it's very important that we all unite behind his candidacy. He has energized millions of new voters, and if we can sustain that momentum by coming together, he will be the next president of the United States."
And Nancy Pelosi crowns the Nominee
It's pretty exciting, a great expansion of participation from young people, from women, from minorities, people in minority communities. And now we have a nominee, and that's pretty exciting. The campaign of Sen. Clinton is one that will go down in the history books as a great one for our country, breaking what I call the marble ceiling, what they call the glass ceiling. Glass is easy compared to the ceiling that she broke. And I couldn't be prouder of her eloquence, her knowledge, her judgment, the stamina that it took to have this campaign. And so I salute her and all of her supporters.
The Senate Block just announced!!! That's 3 more... and a huge one in Barbara Boxer!
Sens. Barbara Boxer (A switch from Clinton) (D-Calif.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) issued a joint statement announcing their endorsement.
"As Senators who remained neutral in this contest, we are proud of Senators Obama and Clinton for breaking down barriers that some believed were unbreakable and for inspiring millions in our country to participate in our political process, many for the first time," the statement said.
"Our focus now is on victory in November and on giving Barack Obama every ounce of our support, every bit of our energy, and our total commitment to do everything in our power to win the Presidency."
Former DCCC Head and Rep Rahm Emanuel
Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel — former Clinton aide and close Obama friend — comes out from under his desk and endorses Obama.
Combative House leader watches Land of Lincolner give AIPAC speech and then goes with him to meet with AIPAC executive board together.
Switched VP Walter Mondale (MN) from Clinton to Obama
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ) for Obama
Gov. Phil Bredesen (TN) for Obama
DNC Gray Sasser (TN) for Obama
DNC Inez Crutchfield (TN) for Obama
Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar
Rep. Mike Doyle (PA) for Obama
Rep. Tom Udall (NM) for Obama
Sen. Ben Cardin (MD) for Obama
Rep Bob Brady (PA) for Obama
Switched DNC Karen Hale (UT) from Clinton to Obama
Sen Herb Kohl (WI) for Obama
Sen Ron Wyden (OR) for Obama
Terry Goddard (AZ) for Obama
Rep. John Salazar (CO) for Obama
Rep. Mark Udall (CO) for Obama
DNC David Strauss (ND) for Obama
DNC Paula Zellner (WI) for Obama
DNC Ed Cote (WA) for Obama
DNC Sharon Mast (WA) for Obama
Rep. Michael Michaud (ME) for Obama
Sen Russ Feingold (WI) Makes it Official for Obama
Of his support for Obama, Feingold said, "I’ve spoken with Senator Obama and made it clear that he could count me as an endorsing supporter of his at the Democratic Convention this August. Senator Obama is an effective leader, capable of leading our country into a new era, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure his success this November."
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) with many others coming
“The nominee of our party is Barack Obama. That’s clear,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who called the meeting and said a statement would be released by 1 p.m. Harkin said he did not know how many senators would join the statement.
Harkin, Tom Carper of Delaware, Ken Salazar of Colorado, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Barbara Boxer of California met for an hour this morning.
Switch from Clinton to Obama: King County Executive Ron Sims
The announcements from King County Executive Ron Sims -- who's also a superdelegate -- and former Gov. Gary Locke were somewhat anticlimactic, coming hours after The Associated Press projected Obama's nominating margin.
But Sims' and Locke's decisions to back Obama were still significant: The two were co-chairmen of Clinton's Washington state campaign, and their statements sent a strong signal that all Democrats should line up behind the Illinois senator's campaign for the White House.
These are in addition to the 2161 reported on DCW night. Their late posting:
Montana U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester, along with Governor Brian Schweitzer, Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis MacDonald for Obama. Obama at 2161.
Also, the Party Leadership has given until Friday to come out in public.
Signing the statement were Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the head of the Democratic Governors Association, Joe Manchin.
"Democrats must now turn our full attention to the general election. To that end, we are urging all remaining uncommitted super delegates to make their decisions known by Friday of this week so that our party can stand united and begin our march toward reversing the eight years of failed Bush/McCain policies that have weakened our country.
And meetings are ongoing at the DSCC
Uncommitted senators are meeting at the offices of the DSCC, a source said.
Quiet on the endorsement front, at this point, is fragile: Obama's still giving Clinton room to breathe, but could now really trigger a flood.
Also, last night at the close of Polls, 26.5 Superdelegates made it official on Obama's Website. This is some great reading.
Fascinating... is this a Clinton Shadow Endorsement?
“I know Senator Obama understands what is at stake here.”
“I know Senator Obama will be a good friend to Israel.”
“Let me underscore: we need a Democrat in the White House next January.”
And a Supercool link that sorta says it all....
Also, taken together, these two stories represent a stark contrast worth highlighting... On one hand we have now powerless Clinton Superdelegates mulling over demands upon matters they have no grounds to stand on
Members of Congress who support Clinton are weighing a joint letter to Senator Barack Obama pressing him to put Clinton on the ticket, a congressional aide confirmed.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida has suggested the letter, which would aim to represent the voices of female members of congress and those from swing states and key demographic groups.
Meanwhile a very public Hillary Backer makes clear where she stands:
She said she was stepping back to think about her options. She is waiting to figure out how she would "use" her 18 million voters.
But not my vote. I will enthusiastically support Barack Obama's campaign. Because I am not a bargaining chip. I am a Democrat.
Incredible.