UPDATE: Previously undecided Wisconsin superdelegate endorses Obama

BY BRIDGET THORESON
Journal Times

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 11:54 PM CDT

MADISON — Kenosha native and Wisconsin superdelegate Awais Khaleel, 23, endorsed Sen. Barack Obama Wednesday.

Khaleel, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is vice president of the College Democrats of America. That position automatically makes him a superdelegate, one of the party elite who can choose any candidate they wish to nominate.

“He’s spoken out about the issues that affect us,” Khaleel said in a YouTube video announcing the endorsement, which had received over 9,200 views by Wednesday afternoon. “Sen. Obama has included young people in his growing coalition and is ready to get this country back on track.”

Khaleel and CDA President Lauren Wolfe said they received over 5,000 e-mails, 1,000 facebook messages, hundreds of posts on YouTube in response to a YouTube video posted April 28 asking college students which candidate to choose.

In a statement, Obama said he was proud to accept their endorsement.

“The College Democrats represent the future and their work is critical to a Democratic victory in November,” Obama said in the statement. “During this primary, young people have proven to be an incredibly powerful force at the polls and I am grateful for their support.”

Khaleel is the tenth Wisconsin superdelegate to endorse Obama, with two endorsing Clinton and four undecided, according to the Associated Press.

In a March interview with The Journal Times, Khaleel said he wanted a candidate who cares about what young people are saying, who could make some promises about how to address the issues after being elected and who could bring the party together.

“I feel really blessed to have this opportunity,” he said in the interview. “It’s the most effective means to bring about change.”

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