Iowa Superdelegate Endorses Obama

that's 7 for obama, 3 for clinton since pennsylvania. more coming today possibly.

des moine register: Winthrop farmer Richard Machacek, an Iowa superdelegate, said today he is pledging to support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Machacek, a member of the Democratic National Committee, had been uncommitted. He said he saw little difference between Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton on policy positions or ability.

Machacek, a Buchanan County Democrat also on the party's state central committee, said Obama's performance at Saturday's Democratic district conventions in Iowa tipped the balance in his favor.

Obama netted 16 of the 29 national convention delegates at stake in the state's five congressional districts, while Clinton received nine. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards received four delegates, having retained sufficient support in some districts despite leaving the race in January.

"I think it needs to be over, and in good conscience, I can't fly in the face of my precinct, county and district," Machacek told The Des Moines Register in a telephone interview. "The raw numbers coming out of the district conventions really sat me down hard."

Obama won Iowa's leadoff caucuses on Jan. 3, but has expanded his share of Iowa's pledged national national delegates through the county and district conventions.

Machacek is one of Iowa's 12 Democratic superdelegates. These delegates, who are party and elected officials, have special authority to back whom they prefer at the national convention, regardless of the outcome of their state's nominating contest results.