Kennedy to back Obama candidacy

Senator Kennedy's endorsement is a major setback for the Clinton Gang.

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Kennedy to back Obama candidacy

By Edward Luce in Washington and Andrew Ward in Florida

Published: January 27 2008 23:47 | Last updated: January 27 2008 23:47

Ted Kennedy, the influential Democratic senator and torchbearer of the Kennedy dynasty, will on Monday endorse Barack Obama’s candidacy, in a move that could provide the 46-year-old presidential aspirant with a critical boost just a week ahead of the Super Tuesday primary.

The move, which follows Sunday’s endorsement of Mr Obama by Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s daughter, comes after Mr Obama’s crushing victory over Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina primary on Saturday in a vote that was boosted by a surge in African-American support for Mr Obama.

Mr Kennedy, whose state of Massachusetts is one of the 22 in play in the February 5 primary, told the Boston Globe that he believed Mr Obama could “transcend race” and bring the country together.

In an interview on NBC on Sunday Mrs Clinton tried to put a brave face on the Kennedy endorsement. “One of the reasons this race is so intense is because we have so many mutual supporters who would be happy to support the other candidate if only one of us were running,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Republican field is increasingly coming to resemble the two-horse Democratic race, with Mitt Romney and John McCain waging a bitter fight before Tuesday’s critical primary vote in Florida. On Sunday Mr Romney accused the Arizona senator of making “dishonest” campaign statements and raised doubts about his competence to run the faltering US economy.

The remarks came as polls showed the rivals locked in a dead heat in Florida, with both desperate for victory a week before Super Tuesday. Mr McCain, who won the important endorsements at the weekend of Charlie Crist and Mel Martinez, the governor of Florida and one of its senators, spent the weekend questioning Mr Romney’s commitment to the war on terror.

“He is desperately trying to change the topic from the economy, trying to get it back to the war in Iraq,” Mr Romney told CNN. “He does not understand the economy, has no experience in the private economy, and right now that is the biggest issue people are facing.”

Tuesday’s vote in Florida has also turned into a controversy between Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama, even though the Democratic party has barred the state from sending any delegates to the party’s presidential nominating convention.

The state was denied its delegates after deciding to hold its primary ahead of Super Tuesday. Mrs Clinton is widely expected to win in Florida, and her campaign has hinted that it will lobby for Florida’s delegates to be restored.

Officials in the Obama campaign, which along with all other candidates signed a pledge not to campaign in Florida, on Sunday accused Mrs Clinton of “cynically flouting” the rules.

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