Wayne Kinney, a Democratic convention superdelegate who lives in Bend, announced today that he's supporting Barack Obama for the party's presidential nomination.
As reported on the BlueOregon blog, Kinney said in a prepared statement:
"Senator Obama wasn't supposed to be able to get this far. One member of Congress from Illinois said that for Sen. Obama to win the nomination, he'd have to be perfect. He's been pretty damned good. The fact that this nomination is still inches from being decided is a testament to the abilities of both Sen. Obama and Sen. [Hillary] Clinton.
"While there are a few primaries left to go, it's now over for Oregon. Sen. Obama won our state by almost 18 points. He is very close to winning a majority of the delegates he needs to be our nominee for President.
"But there should be more to my decision than that. After all, we automatic, 'super' delegates are not automatons. We are not here to ratify. We're expected to use our judgment. Here's mine: After watching Sen. Obama for more than a year, it's clear that he offers an ability to lead and inspire that's been sorely lacking in this country.
"Senator Obama will win our nomination, and will be our President. It felt good to write that sentence."
Kinney, who is a Democratic national committeeman for Oregon and runs a field office for Sen. Ron Wyden, became the sixth of Oregon's 12 superdelegates to announce for Obama. Two others have come out in support of Clinton. As of today, Obama's website is claiming he has 1,980 delegates and is 46 away from clinching the nomination.
