Capitol Hill pressure on Clinton intensifies

Uncommitted superdelegates in Congress are questioning Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (N.Y.) decision to fight for the Democratic nomination until June 3, the date of the last primaries in South Dakota and Montana, and possibly beyond.

Clinton campaign officials have told undeclared superdelegates that she will stay in the race until the final primaries and make a strong push for the results of the Michigan and Florida primaries to be recognized officially. If the Democratic National Committee (DNC) agrees to seat the delegates from the two states, it would narrow Obama’s lead in pledged delegates and popular votes significantly.

{mosads}Clinton will also continue to try to convince superdelegates that she would be the strongest candidate to face presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in November.

But uncommitted superdelegates who hear Clinton’s arguments find them unconvincing.

“The Clinton folks are saying, ‘Wait until June 3 so the rest of the states can play out, then we’ll do what we can to seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan,’ ” said Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.), a neutral Democrat who said he has been contacted by the Clinton campaign. “I think that’s a very complicated case to make,” he said.

Larsen added that he used to agree with the Clinton camp “100 percent” that the nomination should be contested until June 3 but noted that he is “not so sure now.”

He has adopted a different view since Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) beat Clinton by 14 points in North Carolina and lost to her by only two points in Indiana. Since Tuesday’s primaries, pundits and political analysts have declared the race essentially over.

“I’d be OK with going until June 3 if I thought there would be a lot of changes,” said Larsen.

Clinton fell 13 delegates further behind Obama after Tuesday’s contests and now trails Obama by about 170 delegates.

Rep. Tom Allen, an uncommitted Democrat who is running for Senate in Maine, said he agreed with Larsen. He said he would reveal his thoughts in greater detail at a later date.  

There is growing sentiment among undeclared superdelegates that little will change between now and the day after South Dakota and Montana vote.

“I think it’s unlikely to change the outcome,” said Rep. Brad Miller (D), an undeclared superdelegate from North Carolina, when asked whether Clinton should stay in the race until June.

Rep. Joe Courtney, a neutral Democrat from Connecticut, said Clinton’s game plan for winning the nomination was like hoping to hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded.

“It’s hard to pull off,” he said.

“Everyone is going to be making an evaluation, the candidates and the superdelegates, about whether it makes sense for the campaign to finish until the end,” he said.

However, many Clinton backers in Congress have reaffirmed their support for the former first lady.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who on Wednesday said she planned to speak to the New York senator to find out what her strategy is for the rest of the race, said the two had talked.

“She feels intense support from her people. She is persevering. She is very collected. She is very determined. She is really together,” Feinstein said. “And she’s going to make the decision when the time comes. And she doesn’t feel it’s that time … Her strategy is to win this, and she is entitled to the opportunity to try. I’m sticking with her.”

Feinstein added that Clinton told her that she would “do nothing to cause the party any difficulty.”{mospagebreak}

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), whose endorsement was critical to Clinton’s win in the Hoosier State, said he spoke with Clinton Wednesday and argued that the ongoing race is helping energize the party’s base. He added that he has not offered Clinton any advice and supports her decision to continue.

“It helped our party in Indiana. We had four times the previous 20-year record turnout,” Bayh said. “Thousands and thousands of more volunteers. Thousands and thousands of more contributions. There’s no doubt in my mind it helped the Democratic Party in Indiana. Plus, I’m a democrat with a small ‘d’ and I think people ought to have the right to vote.”

{mosads}Meantime, a prominent Obama supporter said Clinton would become a target of criticism from many in the party if she prolonged the race.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who led the defense of former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment, said Sen. Clinton should quit the campaign. 

“Bill and Hillary Clinton can become genuine American leaders by ending this in a way that reflects positively on them,” said Conyers, adding that if the former first lady remains in the race, criticism will mount.

Conyers said he is trying to get Clinton to bow out, but declined to reveal details.

The lawmaker’s stance is significant because he is the second most senior member of the Michigan delegation and has led the effort to have party officials recognize Michigan’s primary results. His call for Clinton to end her campaign undermines her position that she will not get out of the race until delegates from the two states are counted. No delegates were awarded in the contests because the states had moved their primaries too far up on the calendar, violating DNC rules.

Bob Cusack contributed to this report.