Some superdelegates still up for grabs

— -- They're still on the fence.

Some of the uncommitted superdelegates with sway over the Democratic nomination battle said Wednesday that they weren't moved by Hillary Rodham Clinton's decisive victory over Barack Obama in Pennsylvania.

"Every week I say, 'On Tuesday, we'll know more,' " said Eileen Macoll of Washington. "And every Wednesday morning, I'm a liar."

Superdelegates are Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who can vote at the national convention, without regard for primary results.

After her Keystone State victory, Clinton claimed the support of Tennessee Rep. John Tanner, an influential centrist. Obama got the backing of Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, one of eight state chiefs who had not declared as of last week.

Macoll and other uncommitteds said the race remains too close for them to decide and acknowledged their reluctance to weigh in until the nomination contests end June 3. "It is very much a shifting landscape," said Macoll, adding that she will decide after Kentucky and Oregon vote on May 20.

Clinton's nearly 10-percentage-point defeat of Obama in Pennsylvania "was a tremendous achievement," said Lauren Dugas Glover of Maryland, another undeclared superdelegate. "But statistically nothing has changed that much."

Obama leads in total delegates, but neither candidate can capture the 2,025 delegates needed for the nomination solely by delegates awarded from the voting in nine remaining contests. As a result, the support of superdelegates is crucial.

Clinton supporters argued Wednesday that her win Pennsylvania, a bellwether in general elections, marks a big turnaround. She captured the traditional Democratic base in the state, including working-class voters and seniors.

"It's clear that Sen. Clinton is the best candidate for us in the fall, and superdelegates have to take a deep breath and think about that," said Gov. Ed Rendell, her top Pennsylvania backer.

Rep. Mike Doyle, whose western Pennsylvania district voted 52%-48% for Obama, said both Democratic candidates still have a lot to prove.

Obama, in his quest to become the nation's first black president, "needs to demonstrate that he can connect with white, working-class people. It disturbs me greatly that he's not been able to do that," said Doyle, a superdelegate because he's in Congress.

But if Clinton "doesn't have the lead in the popular vote or the delegates … I don't really see how you can take the nomination from Barack," said Doyle, who said he may remain uncommitted until Montana and South Dakota hold the last primaries on June 3.

Doyle said he and other superdelegates are willing to keep the contest going because Clinton, a former first lady, enjoys a deep reservoir of goodwill among party leaders. Continuing the nomination fight, he said, gives her "a chance to change the math."

Some party leaders, however, fear that extending the heated contest between the two Democrats will hurt the party's chances in November against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

Henry, the Oklahoma governor, said "it's time now" for superdelegates to back a candidate to avert a "disastrous" showdown at the party's national convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who's still undecided, worries about the campaign's tone. "Everybody's getting bloodier, and there's no knockout," he said.