Will Clinton supporters jump to Obama?

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?

Like Georgia, Obama easily carried Maryland, winning by 25 points. The Illinois senator has the support of Reps. Elijah Cummings and Al Wynn, both superdelegates.

Clinton’s superdelegates include Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski. To this point, neither has indicated that they will drop their support for the senator from New York.

"When Teddy Kennedy changes from Barack, I'll change from Hillary,” Mikulski told the Capital News Service last weekend.

The Massachusetts icon endorsed Obama in late January, though Clinton carried his home state on Super Tuesday.

O’Malley, for his part, has repeatedly discussed the independent role that superdelegates play in the nominating process.

Obama currently leads Clinton by approximately 150 pledged delegates. Voters in four states, Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont go to the polls in the next contests, March 4.

Since Super Tuesday, Obama has gained 31 superdelegates, while Clinton has lost five.