Skelton Endorses Clinton, Aide Says Small-Town Comments Factored In

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

In a statement released today through his congressional campaign, Skelton said he would vote for Clinton at the convention “because of her support in rural America, her commitment to National Security, and her dedication to our men and women in uniform.”

When asked if Obama’s much-discussed comments about small-town Pennsylvania voters had affected Skelton’s choice, Skelton spokeswoman Rebecca Loving told The Hill, “Yes I think that played heavily in his decision.”

Obama won Skelton’s home state of Missouri on Feb. 5, taking seven counties to Clinton’s 109–a discrepancy Obama overcame by winning the most populous counties, while Clinton outperformed him in rural areas (see the results map here). Obama won with 49.3 percent to Clinton’s 47.9 percent according the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.

Loving, press secretary for Skelton’s congressional office, says Skelton was courted by both candidates: Sen. Clinton called Skelton shortly after the Pennsylvania primary, and Obama’s campaign contacted Skelton earlier on in the primary race. Loving was not certain of any contact from the Obama camp after that point.

After Barack Obama overtook Clinton in Senate endorsements yesterday with the support of Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Clinton widened her lead in overall congressional endorsements today to 98-93.