O'Malley fights for Clinton, dedicated to being a superdelegate

Moments after urging a packed banquet hall of Democrats to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. Martin O'Malley reiterated his commitment to the delegate process and his standing as a superdelegate.

Superdelegates should be free to vote for their own candidates regardless of the given popular vote outcome in any given state, O'Malley said.

"It's entirely possible that the Democratic Convention will be brokered," said the governor, who denied that he has felt any pressure from rank and file Democrats to shift his support from Clinton to Obama should Obama win the popular vote in Maryland. Obama is leading Clinton by double digits in most Maryland presidential primary polls.

Mass. Sen. Edward Kennedy appeared in the hallway of the Bethesda North Marriot Hotel and Conference Center, ready to enter the banquet hall to speak on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama.

After darting over and shaking the elder Senator's hand, O'Malley returned to a small circle of reporters and said, "I doubt Sen. Kennedy is about to direct his support to Sen. Clinton now that she has defeated Sen. Obama in his homestate."

O'Malley said he has talked personally to Clinton, and the conversations are not about running up the white flag and shifting loyalties. The focus, said the governor, is on winning cthe coming primaries in Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio.