Obama Superdelegate Surge Said to Be on Its Way

Would-be governor doesn't get, doesn't want president's backing

(NEWSER) - Rhode Island's Democratic candidate for governor, Frank Caprio, says President Obama can just "take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I'm concerned"—this in a radio interview after Obama declined to endorse him in the first place. The White House said yesterday that Obama wouldn't be backing any candidate in the three-way race, which includes Republican-turned-independent Lincoln Chafee, who CBS News notes was an early Obama ally. And now Caprio is letting the venom fly. More»

Behind the scenes, White House is influencing races

(NEWSER) - The White House is hard at work behind the scenes to put its preferred candidates in place for the 2010 elections. Obama’s team has quietly leaned on weak candidates to bow out and strong ones to bow in, the Wall Street Journal reports. When John Cherry withdrew from the Michigan gubernatorial race, for example, the White House leapt to recruit Denise Ilitch to replace him. More»

Senator sorry for 'Negro' remark

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid apologized again this afternoon for comments he made about Barack Obama in the early days of the presidential campaign, acknowledging that he "could have used a better choice of words" in evaluating Obama's prospects. "I've apologized to the president. I've apologized to everyone that, within the sound of my voice—that I could have used a better choice of words," Reid said at a Nevada news conference. More»

(NEWSER) - Republicans have found a glimmer of hope for the 2010 elections and it’s all thanks to one man: Barack Obama. In assembling his high-powered Cabinet, the president has plucked rising Democratic stars out of several now-competitive races, the LA Times reports. Ken Salazar’s appointment throws his Colorado seat up for grabs, and grabbing Kathleen Sebelius has vastly reduced Democrats’ chances for Kansas’ open Senate seat. More»

Businesses may need to check with feds again before building

(NEWSER) - President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar are expected to announce today a review of a controversial, last-minute Bush administration rule on the environment, the Wall Street Journal reports. In December Bush’s Interior Department exempted developers and businesses from usual checks with the Fish and Wildlife Service to see if new projects would threaten endangered species—outraging environmentalists. More»