A Big Obama Endorsement in Pennsylvania

The power of endorsements have been something of an unknown quantity in the Democratic presidential campaign, but Barack Obama bagged a big and surprising one today when Bob Casey Jr., a U.S. senator and superdelegate, came out for him.

Casey, the son of former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey and who is about as conservative on social issues as Democrats come these days, appeals to the white working-class men who have voted for Hillary Clinton in large numbers in previous primaries.

Pennsylvania’s junior senator had said he would not endorse anyone before the all-important April 22 primary and his decision to back Obama puts him at odds with Governor Ed Rendell and other high-profile state Democrats.

With superdelegate support for the Hero of Bosnia crumbling, Will Bunch writes that:

“How ironic would it be if bland, uninspiring Bob Casey is the man who saves the national Democratic party from the abyss? This is clearly his biggest move since he took office 15 months ago, and I’ll have to say it shows a lot of guts. As is always the case with these endorsements, I don’t think the fact of Casey’s support sways individual voters, but the aura of Obama momentum might.”

More here.