Teri B.

January 31, 2008, 12:55 pm
4 Edwards Delegates Throw Support to Obama
By Sewell Chan

John Edwards’s withdrawal from the presidential contest has touched off a scramble for his supporters by the two leading Democratic candidates, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. This morning, Mr. Obama’s New York office announced that four Edwards delegate candidates in New York City had switched their support to the Illinois senator.

In the 14th Congressional District, which includes the East Side of Manhattan and part of Queens, Betsy Feist and Jeremiah Frei-Pearson are supporting Mr. Obama now. So are two delegate candidates — Marc A. Landis, a Democratic district leader, and Bobby Berlin — in the 8th Congressional District, which includes the West Side of Manhattan and a part of southern Brooklyn.

The significance of the endorsements is more symbolic than practical. Mr. Edwards’s name will still be on the ballot, but he won’t received any delegates in any Congressional district unless he gets at least 15 percent of the vote.

Also, the endorsements do not necessarily reflect mainstream Democratic viewpoints. Carolyn B. Maloney, who represents the 14th Congressional District, and Jerrold L. Nadler, who represents the 8th, have both endorsed Mrs. Clinton, who has the support of New York’s 23-member House delegation. But the announcement could signal that New York liberals attracted to Mr. Edwards’s populist message might be persuaded to move over to Mr. Obama.

“John Edwards has ended his campaign but we’re still committed to fighting for change,” Ms. Feist, who is president of the East Side Democratic Club, said in a statement. “Obama’s work as a community organizer in Chicago shows that he shares John Edwards commitment to fighting poverty, and a similar vision for America where fighting poverty will be a priority.”

Mr. Landis, who had helped lead a struggling effort by Edwards supporters to capture at least 15 percent — and at least one delegate — in each Congressional district, said of Mr. Obama, “His unique ability to unite Democrats, Republicans and independents guarantees he won’t just win in November — it means he’ll be a president with a powerful mandate to bring to Washington the kind of change we can believe in.”