DNC Chairman Howard Dean says that the superdelegates need to make their decision by July 1st:
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, hoping to avoid a divisive fight on the convention floor, weighed in on the Clinton-Obama battle Friday by calling on all party superdelegates to declare whom they support by July 1.
The 800 or so Democratic superdelegates will almost certainly decide the presidential candidate, because it’s unlikely either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will gain enough pledged delegates in the remaining primary contests to win the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the nomination outright.
Dean, appearing on CBS’ “Early Show” Friday morning, was asked about the prospects of a vote among the superdelegates before the convention, an idea floated as a way to settle the still undecided Democratic race.
“Well, I think the superdelegates have already been weighing in. I think there’s 800 of them and 450 of them have already said who they’re for,” Dean said. “I’d like the other 350 to say who they’re on between now and the first of July so we don’t have to take this into the convention.”
Of course, any announcement that a superdelegate makes before they actually vote is subject to change at any time. Given that, does Dean really think that Clinton and Obama wouldn’t be lobbying for defectors all the way to Denver ?
