Congressional Quarterly
Thursday 24 April 2008
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday he plans to turn up the heat on undecided Democratic superdelegates if the party's presidential nominating contest is not resolved after the last primaries June 3.
Reid of Nevada said he, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean are considering writing a joint letter to undecided superdelegates urging them to endorse either Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York or Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
"The three of us, we may write a joint letter, we may write individual letters," Reid said. "We're in contact with each other. What we will do - unless something comes up untoward - we'll do it together."
Reid reiterated his support for Dean's July 1 deadline for superdelegates to make their decisions.
"I've said for several weeks now that this matter will be over by some time in June but no later than the first of July," Reid said. "I still believe that that's the case."
Reid said he polled Senate chairmen during a Wednesday meeting to see how many had not yet endorsed a candidate, noting that seven or eight signaled they were still undecided. Reid added that there was still "plenty of opportunity" for undecided Senate Democrats to make their determinations.
With the Indiana and North Carolina primaries next on tap May 6, and five more states holding nominating contests before June 3, Reid said it was possible a nominee could emerge before July 1.
"If you were in Las Vegas, you could get odds," Reid said. "It's pretty well determined who's going to win each state."
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