WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the superdelegates who may ultimately decide the Democratic party's presidential nominee have a right to vote as they wish, and that the drawn-out contest between candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama should be allowed to reach its conclusion.
"These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win, but they also then should get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there," Pelosi said in an interview aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Pelosi recently drew objections from Clinton backers when she said she shared Obama's view that superdelegates — nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders — should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates. Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates earned in primaries and caucuses, 1,406 to 1,249. Clinton leads Obama in endorsements from superdelegates, 250 to 218. It takes 2,024 delegates to win the nomination.
Pelosi repeated her view that it would it be harmful to the party if superdelegates were perceived to overturn the will of voters, but made clear she was not suggesting Clinton withdraw from the race.
"I think the election has to run its course," Pelosi said. "I think that for all that I have said about respecting the will of the people that the inference to be drawn from that is that we have to continue the election in terms of hearing from the people.
"I do think that it is important for us to get behind one candidate a long time before we go to the Democratic National Convention if we hope to win in November," Pelosi added.
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