The Superdelegate Tally

Updated | 10:20 p.m. Five minutes after the polls closed in Montana, the Obama campaign released what might be called a little insurance: a list of 28 superdelegates pledging their support.

“With polls now closed in the final two contest of this historic race for the Democratic nomination, 26.5 superdelegates pledged their votes for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver,” the campaign statement said. “The superdelegates hail from every region of the country and every level of the Democratic Party leadership.” (Superdelegates from Florida and Michigan only receive a half vote.)

The list includes one governor; eight members of Congress; and various state and national Democratic Party officials.

Many uncommitted superdelegates on the list said they wanted to wait to endorse so that the primary contests could completely play out. One of them, Muriel K. Offerman, a Democratic National Committee member from North Carolina, said on Tuesday afternoon that she intended to keep mum about her choice until the last vote had been cast. “I’ll decide at 10:05 tonight,” she said.

But many of the most high-profile remaining uncommitted superdelegates did not appear on the list, and could announce their endorsements as early as Wednesday.

Updated | 9:10 p.m. The Clinton campaign shared its good news in a terse, one-sentence press release this evening. “The Clinton Campaign today,” it said, “announced the support of Wyoming Democratic National Committee Member and automatic delegate Cindy Nunley.”

In the 11th-hour announcement, Ms. Nunley, the lone uncommitted superdelegate from Wyoming, had become the second superdelegate of the day to endorse Mrs. Clinton. More than two dozen superdelegates today have lined up behind Senator Barack Obama, putting him eight delegates away from the nomination, by the campaign’s count.

Ms. Nunley, a Democratic National Committee member, said Tuesday evening that the campaign was delighted when she informed them of her decision.

“They were very pleased, and they just said, ‘Welcome aboard!'” Ms. Nunley said, speaking from her home in Lander, Wyo.

The Clinton campaign immediately sent her a “commitment form” and instructed her to fill it in with her name, address and confirmation that she formally endorsed Mrs. Clinton.

Ms. Nunley acknowledged that Mrs. Clinton probably didn’t have a chance at the nomination. “I heard on the radio on the way home that he was garnering enough superdelegates to reach that magic number,” she said of Mr. Obama.

But from her vantage point, the race seemed tight enough that one vote might matter. “The reason I decided to commit at this point was that it looked close,” Ms. Nunley said. “It didn’t seem like it would be particularly worthwhile to come out later.”

She admired Mrs. Clinton’s “strength and determination” throughout the nominating process, and wanted to remind people of what an asset she is to the Democratic party.

“It would have been really easy to just sit back and cast my vote with everybody else,” Ms. Nunley said. “I just felt it was the right thing to do.”

Updated | 8 p.m. : The count to the nomination, according to the Obama campaign, has tiptoed into the single digits.

Ivan Holmes, the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, has cast his superdelegate vote for Mr. Obama, making him nine delegates away from clinching the nomination.

Mr. Holmes was an early supporter of former Senator John Edwards, and told CNN that he waited to endorse because Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Oklahoma primary.

Updated | 6:32 p.m. : The Obama campaign now claims to be 10 delegates away from clinching the nomination.

Representative Dennis Moore of Kansas and Belkis Leong-Hong, a Maryland Democratic official, have made their endorsements official, the latest in steady march of Obama superdelegates who have stepped forward today.

Updated | 5:54 p.m.: Twelve delegates.

That is all that stands between Senator Barack Obama and the Democratic nomination for president, according to the campaign’s latest tally.

The most recent announcement includes the superdelegate endorsements of Representative Maxine Waters of California; Diane Glasser, a Democratic National Committee member from Florida; and three Democratic officials from Delaware.

Ms. Waters switched her endorsement to Mr. Obama from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, based on his “ability to unite the country and leadership on issues such as the housing crisis and war in Iraq.”

Updated | 5:48 p.m.: The Obama campaign isn’t bragging about this superdelegate endorsement yet.

Representative William J. Jefferson of Louisiana, who was indicted for bribing a Nigerian official and engineering an international corruption scheme, announced today that he is casting his superdelegate vote for Mr. Obama.

“It is time to unify our party behind a nominee for President in order to give Democrats the best chance to win this fall,” Mr. Jefferson said in a statement.

Last week, a federal judge in Virginia refused to toss out the bribery charges against Mr. Jefferson, who argued that his alleged crimes more closely resembled influence peddling than bribery.

Updated | 5:21 p.m.: The Obama campaign is now 16.5 delegates away from the nomination, according to its count that includes two more superdelegates from California and the District of Columbia.

Kamil Hasan, a Democratic National Committee member from California, and Ben Johnson, a Democratic National Committee member from the District of Columbia, announced their endorsements in a joint statement from the campaign.

“It’s time to close ranks behind Barack Obama,” Mr. Johnson said.

“I sincerely believe that he can provide the necessary leadership in taking this country in a new direction,” Mr. Hasan said.

Mr. Hasan and Mr. Johnson are the 17th and 18th superdelegates to officially pledge their support to Mr. Obama today, in a parade of endorsements that have put Mr. Obama tantalizingly close to clinching the nomination.

Updated | 4:51 p.m. : Another Michigan superdelegate, another half vote for Senator Barack Obama.

Tina Abbott, the secretary-treasurer of the Michigan A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the vice chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, endorsed Mr. Obama this afternoon, the campaign announced in a statement.

“I am endorsing Senator Obama because he has spent his career standing up for working families,” Ms. Abbott said. “He has a plan to protect American workers and their families, and retool our manufacturing base to keep jobs here at home and strengthen our economy.”

Ms. Abbott is the sixth superdelegate from the swing state of Michigan to endorse Mr. Obama today.

Updated | 4:47 p.m. : Senator Barack Obama just collected his 15th superdelegate today, as the vice chairwoman of the Mississippi Democratic Party pledged her endorsement to Mr. Obama.

Carnelia Fondren, the fifth Mississippi superdelegate to commit to Mr. Obama, called him “a dynamic leader who offers a compelling vision for the future of our nation and the state of Mississippi.”

Mr. Obama was also endorsed Tuesday afternoon by John Perez, a labor organizer in Los Angeles.

The California delegation made up the largest individual state’s number of uncommitted superdelegates, and many of them remained uncommitted by late Tuesday afternoon. One superdelegate, Steven Ybarra, said in an interview on Monday that he was waiting for a stronger commitment from either candidate on Latino issues. Another superdelegate, Robert Rankin, said he planned to endorse on Wednesday or later.

With the announcement of Ms. Fondren’s endorsement, the Obama campaign said it is 28 delegates away from the nomination.

Updated | 3:23 p.m.: Former President Jimmy Carter has signaled that he will endorse Senator Barack Obama tonight after the polls close in the final two primary contests in Montana and South Dakota.

“The fact is, the Obama people already know they have my vote when the polls close tonight,” Mr. Carter told the Associated Press today after making a speech in Atlanta.

Mr. Carter is only one of the many big fish still swimming in the officially-uncommitted delegate pool. Dozens of senators and House members have yet to endorse, including Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. Former Vice President Al Gore, Donna Brazile, Rahm Emanuel and Howard Dean are all still neutral. Even Senator Jim Webb, rumored to be a possible running mate for Mr. Obama, has not made an endorsement.

Updated | 3:03 p.m.: Score one for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mrs. Clinton just picked up her first superdelegate of the day, with the endorsement of Jon Ausman, a Florida member of the Democratic National Committee.

Mr. Ausman told The Palm Beach Post that he was leaning toward supporting Mr. Obama until Mrs. Clinton called him this morning and asked for his endorsement.

“She has hundreds of thousands of supporters he needs and we need to work together,” Mr. Ausman said.

According to Mr. Ausman, Mrs. Clinton said she’d “think about” accepting the vice-presidential spot on the Democratic ticket.

But in April, as an uncommitted superdelegate, Mr. Ausman sounded grim about the prospect of a joint Obama-Clinton ticket.

“There’s not a chance,” Mr. Ausman told The Times in an interview. “This has turned into a battle of egos, and strong personal animosity has slipped into this.”

Updated | 2:53 p.m.: Two more superdelegates have pledged their support to Senator Barack Obama, including one from the swing state of Missouri.

Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a state representative from Missouri, announced at a news conference todday that she would endorse Mr. Obama, citing his “inspiration and involvement.”

And Mr. Obama also picked up the endorsement of Deb Kozikowski, a Democratic National Committee member from Massachusetts. Ms. Kozikowski is also the vice chairwoman of the state Democratic party.

Updated | 2:33 p.m.: Kwame Kilpatrick, the embattled mayor of Detroit, announced his support for Senator Barack Obama today.

Mr. Kilpatrick is the fifth superdelegate from Michigan to endorse Mr. Obama so far today, giving Mr. Obama an additional 2.5 votes toward the nomination. Michigan’s superdelegates count for a half-vote each.

Updated | 2:25 p.m.: Representative John Spratt of South Carolina has announced his endorsement of Senator Barack Obama, saying in a statement that while he “could support any of several contenders in this primary,” Mr. Obama has “earned the nomination and proved his ability.”

Updated | 1:50 p.m.: The trickle of superdelegates for Senator Barack Obama continued today with the endorsement of Representative Joyce Beatty, the Ohio House Democratic leader.

While the state of Ohio went to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primary, Ms. Beatty’s district voted for Mr. Obama.

Ms. Beatty released a statement to announce her endorsement, with a nod to Mrs. Clinton. “Especially as a female, I respect the strength she has shown the nation in her historic run for the highest office in the land,” she said.

Updated | 1:15 p.m. : Jennifer DeChant, the Democratic National Committeewoman for Maine, is the latest superdelegate to publicly declare her support for Senator Barack Obama. Ms. DeChant told the Associated Press of her decision today.

Updated | 12:22 p.m.: Two more superdelegates have endorsed Senator Barack Obama, the campaign announced just after noon today.

Debbie Dingell and Rick Wiener, both Democratic National Committee members from Michigan, are the second and third Michigan superdelegates to commit to Mr. Obama so far today.

Michigan superdelegates are worth only half a vote, bringing Mr. Obama to 35.5 delegates away from clinching the nomination.

Coming Off the Fence | 12:01 p.m.: Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Democrat of Michigan, became the fifth superdelegate to endorse Senator Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Ms. Kilpatrick joined Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina; Missouri State Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal; Representative John W. Olver of Massachusetts; and Michigan political activist Joyce Lalonde as the first superdelegates to line up behind Mr. Obama on the day that his campaign hopes to claim victory in the Democratic primary.

By the Obama campaign’s tally, he is 36.5 delegates away from clinching the nomination.