Clinton camp says it’s not luring pledged delegates

The campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) insisted Tuesday that it is not urging delegates pledged to Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) to switch sides and cast their votes at the Democratic National Convention for the former first lady.

Clinton noted Monday that pledged delegates are not bound, in many states, to vote for the candidate selected by voters.

{mosads}Facing a sizeable delegate deficit with only a few states remaining, the New York senator’s campaign is searching for ways to convince the media and observers that it can still win, as many have begun to write off her chances in recent weeks.

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said on a conference call that no effort to woo those delegates is under way, and nothing should be interpreted from Clinton’s comments.

“We are not seeking or asking pledged delegates for Sen. Obama to flip over or anything like that. There is a rule, but we are not engaged in any efforts, so please don’t make any mistake about that,” Singer said.

Asked why Clinton pushed the issue, Singer said he did not think she was “floating” an idea.

“It is one of the rules of the DNC and the process,” Singer said. “I wouldn’t read anything into it. I get that there’s always a temptation to read something into everything, but simply stating a fact, I don’t think, is cause for hysteria.”

The former first lady, who also made a similar statement earlier this month, repeated it in an interview Monday with the Philadelphia Daily News editorial board, in response to a question about how she can win the delegate math.

“And also remember that pledged delegates in most states are not pledged,” Clinton said, as reported by the Daily News. “You know, there is no requirement that anybody vote for anybody. They’re just like superdelegates.”