Clinton council leader defects to Obama’s side

WASHINGTON – A California congressman who is co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s National Hispanic Leadership Council has defected and pledged his support to Barack Obama, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, whom Clinton named to his Hispanic leadership post in December, shortly after Cardoza announced he would support her for the nomination, announced he was switching sides on Friday.

“I believe that Senator Obama will inevitably be our party’s nominee for president,” said Cardoza, a Democrat from Merced, in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Cardoza’s endorsement of Clinton occurred when she appeared to be the odds-on favorite to win the nomination, with more than twice as many superdelegate supporters as Obama. That was before Obama won the Iowa caucuses and began his drive toward front-runner status.

In more recent weeks, as Clinton’s lead evaporated, Cardoza and his fellow superdelegates have been getting more pressure from Obama’s camp to join the winning team.