New York Times
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been putting on a charm offensive of phone calls and personal visits to woo the undecideds among superdelegates, the 796 elected Democrats and party leaders whose votes may eventually determine the party’s nominee.
Beyond that, both senators, through their political action committees, have already given some of the elected officials among the superdelegates a considerable sum in campaign contributions. Superdelegates have received more than $890,000 in campaign contributions from Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton in the last three years, according to Capital Eye, a newsletter published by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that analyzes campaign finance data.
Mr. Obama’s political action committee, Hope Fund, has given more than $694,000 in contributions to superdelegates since 2005, the article said. And of the 81 elected officials who have committed their superdelegate votes to Mr. Obama, 34 received contributions from him in the past.
Mrs. Clinton’s political action committee, Hillpac, has given $195,000 to superdelegates. Of the 109 superdelegates who have promised her their support, only 13 received contributions from her.
The report found that contributions “have been a generally reliable predictor of whose side a superdelegate will take.”
A spokesman for the Obama campaign, Bill Burton, said in an e-mail message, “Apparently, the secret that Obama has been a supporter of Democrats across the country has been uncovered.”
Jay Carson, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, said, “Looks like the hope in Hope Fund was for ‘I hope you endorse me.’ ”