Blue Spot

Corzine touts Clinton, early superdelegate pledge -- Newsday.com

TRENTON, N.J. - Hillary Rodham Clinton can make big statements by winning Tuesday's presidential primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Monday as he backed forcing superdelegates to make an early pledge as to which candidate they support.

Corzine, who is heading to North Carolina Monday to campaign for Clinton, said wins on Tuesday for the New York senator would be crucial.

He said superdelegates "are going to have to look at the electability issue when all is said and done."

Corzine said whomever wins the overall popular vote from the Democratic nominating contests is a key consideration and argued that should include Florida.

Clinton won Florida and Michigan, but the Democratic Party stripped them of delegates because the states held primaries earlier than the party allowed. Unlike in Michigan, both Clinton and Obama were on the Florida ballot.

"She won it by 300,000 votes," Corzine said. "I don't know how you can't count that. As a matter of fact it's a poke in the eye to the people of Florida who went out."

He backed a superdelegate convention after the last voter primary in June in hopes the party can pick a nominee early and avoid a bitter summer fight between Obama and Clinton.

Corzine said he would require superdelegates to pledge at that meeting that they're going to declare their choice within two weeks.

Labels: Election 2008, Florida, superdelegates