By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama earned more support from party leaders and won praise from former rival John Edwards on Friday as he gathered momentum in his drive to the U.S. presidential nomination.

Edwards, who dropped his presidential bid in January, said Obama could unite the Democratic Party after a bruising nominating battle with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and beat Republican John McCain in November's election.

"What he brings to the table is the capacity, number one, to unite the Democratic Party," Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, told NBC's "Today" show.

"Number two, to bring in new voters, to bring in people who haven't been involved in the process over a long time and to get people excited about this change."

Obama, an Illinois senator, picked up the backing of two more superdelegates, U.S. Reps. Donald Payne of New Jersey and Peter DeFazio of Oregon. Payne had been a Clinton supporter.

Clinton won another superdelegate endorsement from U.S. Rep. Chris Carney of Pennsylvania.

The courting of nearly 800 superdelegates -- party and elected officials who are free to back any candidate -- has become critical with neither candidate likely to clinch the nomination at the August convention with the support of pledged delegates alone.

Pledged delegates represent the votes the candidates receive in the state-by-state nominating contests that began in January and end in June.

CLINTON VOW

With just 217 pledged delegates at stake in the final six contests, Clinton has no realistic chance of overtaking Obama's lead in pledged delegates. His campaign believes he'll clinch a majority of those pledged delegates when Oregon and Kentucky vote on May 20.

Clinton has vowed to continue on until the voting concludes on June 3, but she and campaign aides have hinted she will step aside if it is clear that Obama will be the nominee.

An MSNBC count gives Obama 1,850 delegates to Clinton's 1,700 -- leaving him about 175 short of the 2,025 needed to clinch the nomination. More than 250 superdelegates remain undecided.

Obama has picked up eight more superdelegates since Tuesday, when his big North Carolina win and narrow Indiana loss widened his lead in the Democratic race.

Edwards, who as a candidate failed to match the star power and fund-raising ability of Clinton or Obama, declined to endorse Obama on Friday, saying the value of endorsements was overrated.

Obama "has done pretty well without any endorsement from John Edwards," he said.

Sixteen members of Congress and Clinton backers from states that will be critical in November's election published a letter on Friday saying Clinton would be the strongest candidate to lead the party in swing districts like theirs.

Clinton has argued to superdelegates that she has the better chance of beating McCain in November and carrying big battleground states for the party.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith; editing by Howard Goller)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

05/09/2008 10:53 EST

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39 comments

malloryca 06:02:18 PM May 09 2008

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WHO are these de-moc-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

rcizzle3 03:47:00 PM May 09 2008

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A vote for McCain would be the same as re-electing Bush to another term. Do you Hillbilly backers really want that? Do you really want to suffer for four more years? Your own "champion" has declared that she will back Obama if he wins, so why the heck can't you? Listen to reason!

nuge2424 03:39:50 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

fofoye 03:28:14 PM May 09 2008

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Voting for McCain is like biting your nose to spite your face.
$50,000 a second of your taxpayer money goes to rebuild Iraq which Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld have bombed. The government owes 53 trillion, and the 2006 deficit alone was 4.6 trillions. More than 400,000 of your children and mine died in Iraq defending Haliburton's interest. Voting for McCain to continue this senseless war is the most stupif thing anyone could do. since voting for McCain will only get us more of the same until our country goes down the drain.
How much worse can it get? We are losing our homes, we have no money, no food, no jobs. Only we the voters will suffer.

tearex2k 03:27:23 PM May 09 2008

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UNEMPLOYED?
MORTGAGE PROBLEMS?
HIGH GAS PRICES GOT YOU DOWN?

HERE'S A NOVEL IDEA IN THIS DIFFICULT ECONOMY:

WHY NOT JUST THROW YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY DOWN A RAT-HOLE JUST TO FEED THE CLINTONS' MASSIVE EGOS AND KEEP THEIR DESPERATE LOST CAMPAIGN SPUTTERING ALONG FOR A FEW MORE DAYS?

CONTRIBUTE NOW!

HILLARY / PINNOCHIO '08
"Ready to Deceive the American People --- One Day One!"

malloryca 03:12:58 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...

jfnikki 03:09:47 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.

brittishbiker 02:48:08 PM May 09 2008

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Gore/Edwards or Clinton/Edwards would make a good independant ticket .As a proud American I could NEVER vote for a man like Obama . He wants to globalize the country. it is time to isolationize the .U.S.A Cut all ties to china and mexico and Europe.

mssspellr 02:45:32 PM May 09 2008

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malloryca - You hit the nail on the head!! You are 1000% Right!

mssspellr 02:43:38 PM May 09 2008

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malloryca 02:36:10 PM May 09 2008

Report This! 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
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Great post!!!!