WASHINGTON (AP) - The movement of Democratic superdelegates to presidential hopeful Barack Obama gained steam Friday with four new endorsements, including a union president and a congressman who switched his backing from rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Obama has now climbed within a handful of superdelegates of catching Clinton in endorsements from the party and elected officials who will ultimately decide the nomination. With the new endorsements, the superdelegate count is Clinton, 271.5 and Obama, 267.

Obama's endorsements from superdelegates have picked up sharply since Tuesday, when he soundly defeated Clinton in North Carolina's primary and held her to a narrow victory in Indiana. The momentum in his direction reflects a growing sense among Democratic leaders that it is inevitable Obama will lock up the nomination.

"Just looking at the facts, he's the presumptive nominee," Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., said at a The New Yorker magazine conference Friday. Emanuel, who worked in the Clinton White House and has home state ties to Obama, has remained neutral in the race.

Obama also picked up the endorsement of the influential American Federation of Government Employees union on Friday.

"Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign," AFGE President John Gage said.

Gage, a previously uncommitted superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, said he is also personally endorsing Obama.

In New Jersey, Donald Payne - a black congressman who had been backing Clinton for the nomination - is switching his support to Obama, Dan Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, confirmed.

Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon also plans to formally endorse Obama and campaign with him at events Friday in Eugene and Albany, Ore.

"Senator Obama has proven he is able to energize young Americans, independents, and even moderate Republicans to support his candidacy," DeFazio said in a statement released by his office. "I believe he represents our best hope of winning in November, and puts the needs and priorities of hard working Americans ahead of the powerful special interests that have been extraordinarily favored by the Bush-Cheney administration."

Oregon holds its primary on May 20. While polling in the state has been sparse, Obama is believed to hold a significant advantage over Clinton. With DeFazio, he will have the endorsement of three of the state's four Democratic House members. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and David Wu earlier endorsed Obama, while Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep. Darlene Hooley have endorsed Clinton.

Clinton won the New Jersey primary on Feb. 5 and has strong backing from the state's congressional delegation.

"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," Payne told The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J. It was "one of the most difficult decisions I have made," Payne said. "I've really been mulling it over for quite a while."

At-large Democratic National Committee member Vernon Watkins told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that he has decided to endorse Obama.

"The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won," said Watkins, a retired union member from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Clinton continues to pickup superdelegate endorsements, including one from a Pennsylvania congressman on Friday.

Rep. Chris Carney noted that Democrats in his northeastern Pennsylvania district supported Clinton by a more than 2-1 margin in the state's April 22 primary.

"I will respect their decision," said Carney, who represents a historically Republican district and is viewed by the GOP as vulnerable to a fall challenge.

Associated Press Writers Jesse Holland and Matthew Daly in Washington and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

05/09/08 12:20 EDT

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ddsmith43081 07:24:32 PM May 10 2008

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Andy Borowitz 05.09.08

In what some Democratic Party insiders are calling a particularly ominous sign for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, former president Bill Clinton today became the latest superdelegate to switch from Sen. Clinton to her rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill).

Sources close to the former president said that Mr. Clinton had been mulling such a defection for weeks, as early as the night of the Iowa primary, but that he only decided to make his decision public today.

"The American people want change," Mr. Clinton said at a press conference in New York. "Lord knows I do."

The former president said that "sometimes, at the end of a race, you have to put an old horse down," adding, "I'm not speaking metaphorically."

ddsmith43081 06:54:42 PM May 10 2008

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But using Clintonâ€™s own numbers, there now seems a clear path for Obama to claim victory.

Clintonâ€™s push for the full inclusion of Florida and Michigan brings the total pledged delegates to 3,566. That would mean the magic number for a majority would rise to 1,784.

A conservative assessment of Obamaâ€™s chances shows he would reach 1,785 pledged delegates on June 1, when polls close in the Puerto Rican primary.

This showing by Obama is possible even under extremely generous expectations for Clinton in the weeks ahead. Should she win about 70 percent of the delegates in West Virginia next week, a showing she has only accomplished in her husbandâ€™s native state of Arkansas, she would walk away with 19 additional delegates to Obamaâ€™s nine delegates.

A week later, should Clinton win 62 percent of the delegates in Kentucky, larger than her win in her home state of New York, she would walk away with 32 additional delegates while Obama would walk away with 19.

vemocgh 04:15:56 PM May 09 2008

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Well Superdelegates...Because of your inability to see what Obama is. You are giving the white house toJohn McCain...53% of Clinton supporters will not back a racist, Nazi associated, unpatriotic, antisemitic, terorist associated nominee...I really wish we knew what your INCENTIVE IS TO DO WHAT YOU'RE DOING...AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES aMERICANS. tHANKS FOR FOUR MORE YEARS OF bUSH...AND CLINTON SUPPORTERS will VOTE FOR mCcAIN...it's called tit for tat.

nuge2424 03:46:35 PM May 09 2008

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THE COST:
Listening to Rev. Wright for 20 years will cost Obama 50 million votes.
Relationship with Weatherman terrorist bomber........35 million votes.
Wife not proud of America.........................................20 million votes
Rezko criminal dealings................................................15 million votes
refusal to wear flag pin................................................8 million votes
Endorsement from a terrorist Jihadist Islamo group. HAMAS............

PRICELESS ! ! ! ! ! ! !

As soon as middle America learns the truth about this guy
Obama will be toast in the general election

malloryca 03:12:25 PM May 09 2008

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SCANDAL LOOMING !!! OBAMA GOING DOWN !!!

quote : dmc2613916 03:05:51 PM May 09 2008

... Osama Hussein has a scandal looming in Puerto Rico where his co-chairs are indicited for fraud big time,. Maybe this is why Osama wants to end the race now before the primary in Puerto Rico where all this scandal about his co-chairs will be exposed. It is reported on AOL blogs today but the mainstream media is again not reporting this...

malloryca 03:12:09 PM May 09 2008

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THANKS biddr6... post it everywhere. it is the truth.

jfnikki 03:09:07 PM May 09 2008

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I AM A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT,BUT IF OBAMA GETS THE NOMINATION I WILL BE VOTING FOR MCCAIN, AND I WILL VOTE DEMOCRAT FOR THE HOUSE AND SENATE.I FEEL THAT HAVING A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT AND A DEMOCRAT HOUSE AND SENATE WOULD BE GOOD FOR OUR COUNTRY.

biddr6 02:50:02 PM May 09 2008

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malloryca,
well said. i am gonna take your stuff and paste it all over.
well put
jealous men.
amn hood got saved by a black man

malloryca 02:35:16 PM May 09 2008

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WHO are these DEMOC-RATS pushing OBAMA??

Kennedy - ran for president and LOST
Dean - ran for president and LOST
Kerry - ran for president and LOST
Edwards - ran for president and LOST
Richardson - ran for president and LOST (backstabber)
McGovern - ran for president and LOST (backstabber)

THESE ARE THE MEN, who don't want a WOMAN to win the PRESIDENCY.
THESE ARE THE LOSERS who would rather sell out America to the muslim racists than to have a woman president.

VOTE HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT, HILLARY IS THE AMERICAN CHAMPION