http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=a3ee73a1-863d-4120-93ea-9a6fe7b58cdbBy Ted Mann, Published on 5/2/2008
Hartford - One of Connecticut's last three undecided Democratic superdelegates is down off the fence.
Former party chairman John Olsen, the current state head of the AFL-CIO, endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York for the party's presidential nomination Thursday, in a press conference at the state Capitol.
Olsen's choice makes him just the second of the state's superdelegates to endorse Clinton over Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who won this state's presidential primary in an upset on March 5.
Only two of the superdelegates remains uncommitted: U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who has said he will wait until the convention to make his decision, and the current state party chair, Nancy DiNardo.
The other congressional superdelegates are Sen. Chris Dodd and Reps. John Larson, D-1st District, Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, and Chris Murphy, D-5th District, all of whom have endorsed Obama.
The only Connecticut Republican in Congress, Rep. Chris Shays, R-4th District, has endorsed Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Sen. Joe Lieberman, a registered Democrat, was stripped of his superdelegate status after campaigning for and endorsing McCain.
Other superdelegates are state Rep. Steve Fontana, D-North Haven, former state Sen. Anthony Avallone, and Democratic National Committee member Marty Dunleavy, all of whom support Obama. Ellen Camhi, the chairwoman of the Stamford Democratic Town Committee, has endorsed Clinton.
t.mann@theday.com