After months of resisting pressure to take sides, super delegates from Missouri, New York, Ohio and elsewhere across the US fell into line behind black-American Obama yesterday to swing his historic but bitter battle against Clinton, the 60-year-old former first lady.
As late as yesterday morning, Obama made phone calls to court super delegates, the party and elected officials whose support he needed to break the stalemate, US media reported.
The first signs of change of heart came just after dawn yesterday when a Michigan super delegate pledged her support to Obama, the 47-year-old Senator from Illinois.
Within hours, a dozen more super delegates followed suit. Then another dozen. By late afternoon, Obama was just eight delegates short of the magic figure of 2,118 needed to capture the Democratic nomination for President.
Moments after the polls closed in South Dakota and Montana, Obama's campaign announced the support of 26.5 super delegates 10 from earlier in the day, and 16.5 new, CNN reported.
Pressure on super delegates mounted last week when the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada began asking those uncommitted to take sides soon after yesterday's primaries.