Reid, Pelosi, Dean may intervene in nomination

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that he may have to push undecided superdelegates to make their decisions in the Democratic presidential race, if the contest stretches into June.

Reid said he would consider writing a joint letter with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) demanding that superdelegates make their endorsements public.

“The three of us, we may write a joint letter [to superdelegates],” said Reid. “We might do individual letters. We are in contact with each other.”

Reid's comments suggest that the party’s top three officials are contemplating a high-level intervention if the primary season concludes in June without a nominee and many superdelegates still undecided.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)'s 9-point victory over Sen. Barack Obama (D-ill.) in Tuesday's Pennsylvania Democratic primary means that the contentious nomination fight will likely continue into the summer. As the race continues to tighten, the decisions of the undecided superdelegates could determine the final outcome.

Both Dean and Reid have made no secret of their desire to see the nomination fight end by the end of June.

However, Reid aides warned people not to read too much into his newest comments.

"Sen. Reid was talking about the possibility of simply sending a letter to superdelegates after the primary process is over to encourage them to make their support known," said Rodell Mollineau, Reid's communications director.

"His statement today was nothing more than a reiteration of his past comments that most superdelegates should be in a position after June 3rd to make a decision and make their support known. No one should read any further into it than that."

Stacie Paxton, a spokeswoman for the DNC, declined to discuss any potential letter to superdelegates.

"I will just reiterate that Dean has said for some time now that he is encouraging the unpledged delegates to make their intentions known by July 1 so this doesn't go to the convention," Paxton said.

Reid, who himself has not endorsed, said he would not rush any of the superdelegates for now.

"People will have plenty of opportunity after the last primary on June 2 to make a decision about what they are going to do," he said.

However, when asked by a reporter if he would be forced to weigh in on the race, Reid replied, "I might have to."

The Senate majority leader also hinted that another high-profile superdelegate could be making an endorsement in the coming days.

Reid said he met Wednesday with all of the Senate committee chairman, and that one chairman told him he was going to make an endorsement decision "soon."

When asked in the hallway if he was the committee chairman in question, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.) delivered an emphatic "no."

UPDATE: Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said Pelosi has no "specific plans for a letter" to superdelegates.

"She is not opposed to the idea [of a letter] but does not have any plans to do so,” said Daly. Like Dean and Reid, Pelosi has expressed her desire to see the nomination wrapped up before July.

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