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By AMY DOMINELLO
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – It’s official. U.S. Rep. John Lewis said Wednesday he’ll cast his vote as a superdelegate for Barack Obama.
Lewis, a Democrat from Atlanta and an icon of the civil rights movement, had endorsed Hillary Clinton. A week ago, The New York Times reported that Lewis had decided to switch to Obama, but Lewis’ office said then the article was inaccurate.
On Wednesday, Lewis made the switch official with a written statement. He said he believed it was his duty to express the will of the people of Georgia. Obama won Georgia’s primary with 66 percent of the vote.
Lewis said Obama is inspiring the country, and his candidacy is the start of a new era.
“There is a movement, there is a spirit, there is an enthusiasm in the hearts and minds of the American people that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy,” he said.
In the tight Democratic race for the White House, it’s possible that neither candidate will have the majority needed to win the nomination when the primary season ends. That gives significance to the votes of superdelegates like Lewis who will get a vote at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Lewis said he tried unsuccessfully to contact Senator Clinton. He said he did not speak to either President Bill Clinton or Obama before making his decision. The decision was difficult, he said.
“I have a deep and abiding love for both Senator Clinton and President Clinton,” he said. “Senator Clinton is a brilliant and capable candidate.”
The majority of Georgia’s 13 superdelegates have not committed to a candidate yet.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – It’s official. U.S. Rep. John Lewis said Wednesday he’ll cast his vote as a superdelegate for Barack Obama.
Lewis, a Democrat from Atlanta and an icon of the civil rights movement, had endorsed Hillary Clinton. A week ago, The New York Times reported that Lewis had decided to switch to Obama, but Lewis’ office said then the article was inaccurate.
On Wednesday, Lewis made the switch official with a written statement. He said he believed it was his duty to express the will of the people of Georgia. Obama won Georgia’s primary with 66 percent of the vote.
Lewis said Obama is inspiring the country, and his candidacy is the start of a new era.
“There is a movement, there is a spirit, there is an enthusiasm in the hearts and minds of the American people that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy,” he said.
In the tight Democratic race for the White House, it’s possible that neither candidate will have the majority needed to win the nomination when the primary season ends. That gives significance to the votes of superdelegates like Lewis who will get a vote at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Lewis said he tried unsuccessfully to contact Senator Clinton. He said he did not speak to either President Bill Clinton or Obama before making his decision. The decision was difficult, he said.
“I have a deep and abiding love for both Senator Clinton and President Clinton,” he said. “Senator Clinton is a brilliant and capable candidate.”
The majority of Georgia’s 13 superdelegates have not committed to a candidate yet.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com