John Lewis

Through his personal campaign committee and his leadership fund, AmeriPAC, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer gave out $169,000 to fellow members’ committees in the first quarter of this year alone.

Today, Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) announced that he was dropping his support for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race, and switching to Sen. Barack Obama.

“After taking some time for serious reflection on this issue, I have decided that when I cast my vote as a superdelegate at the Democratic convention, it is my duty as a representative of the 5th Congressional District to express the will of the people,” the civil rights pioneer said in a statement. “As a U.S. representative, it is my role not to try to subdue or suppress the will of the people, but to help it prosper and grow.”

Obama carried the Georgia primary on Feb. 5 by a substantial margin, amassing 67% of the vote to Clinton’s 31%. He secured an even greater margin in Georgia’s fifth district, nearly 3-to-1 over Clinton.

The defection of Lewis and other superdelegates alike raises an interesting question here in the Free State. Will Clinton supporters in Maryland jump to Obama?