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San Jose: Allowing the Democratic presidential race to continue several more weeks will not hurt the party's chances in November, former President Bill Clinton said on Sunday, urging those concerned to "chill out" and let the balloting run its course.
Clinton dismissed suggestions by supporters of Barack Obama that Hillary Clinton, his wife, was damaging the party by staying in the race even though she is behind in delegates and unlikely to overtake the Illinois senator based on the contests to come.
"There is somehow the suggestion that because we are having a vigorous debate about who would be the best president, we are going to weaken this party in the fall," he said Sunday at the state Democratic Party convention. Chill out. We're going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say."
Obama said on Saturday that the decision about whether to drop out was for Hillary Clinton to make.
"My attitude is Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants," he told reporters in Pennsylvania, where he is campaigning for that state's April 22 primary.
Yet to choose sides
Bill Clinton flew to California from Pennsylvania to make his pitch at the convention, which attracted a large number of superdelegates, the elected officials and party insiders who will determine whether Hillary Clinton or Obama gets the Democratic presidential nomination.
Nearly one-third of California's 65 named delegates have yet to choose sides. Unlike the pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, superdelegates are free to vote for whichever candidate they want.
One survey put Clinton far ahead among superdelegates who had made up their minds, with 29 to Obama's 13.
Twenty-one of those quizzed said they were still undecided or expressed their inability to commit before the party's national convention in August and two had not responded, the straw poll said.
New appointments
California will have one more delegate when the San Francisco Bay area congressional seat left vacant by the death of Tom Lantos is filled.
Five others will be appointed by the party on May 18, bringing the total to 71.
Clinton delivered a similar message during a private meeting with a couple dozen superdelegates before the speech.
"He talked a little bit about letting the process play out," said Christine Pelosi, an undecided superdelegate from San Francisco who attended and described Clinton as "very good, very intense".
Others like Pelosi say they see no urgency to make up their minds, despite the pleas and entreaties of the respective campaigns.
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