Clyburn endorses Obama

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) threw his support behind Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) Tuesday morning, a decision that could open the floodgate for other superdelegate endorsements, establish Obama as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and end the long, tense primary.

Clyburn said Obama’s nomination offers the best chance for a Democratic victory in November and “our nation’s best hope for much-needed change.”  News of the decision began leaking on Monday, but Clyburn made it official in a lengthy release Tuesday.

{mosads}“Senator Obama brings a new vision for our future and new voters to our cause.  He has created levels of energy and excitement that I have not witnessed since the 1960's,” Clyburn said in the written statement.

The endorsement from the highest-ranking African-American in Congress kicked off a day that some have predicted will end with Obama clinching the Democratic nomination.

Clyburn had criticized Clinton during the heated South Carolina primary about remarks she’d made about civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. But he remained uncommitted through the primary and past it.

The influential House leader on Tuesday cited recent polls showing Obama to be the preferred candidate among Democrats and independents. Clyburn said he believed Obama’s coattails could attract new, as well as young voters, and reap rich rewards for Congressional Democrats and those at the state and local levels at the polls in November.

“He will be able to dramatically change the electoral map for Democrats which will in turn expand our majorities here in Congress, and help elect more Democrats at the state and local levels,” he said. “Furthermore, I believe that Senator Obama is the Democrat who can unite our people, help heal our nation's wounds, improve our standing on the world stage, and steer our country in a new direction.