June 03, 2008 01:12 AM UTC

Salazar Leads 'Peacemaking Caucus' of Undeclared Senators

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• by: RedGreen

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sens. Ken Salazar and Tom Harkin this afternoon gathered some of the remaining undeclared Democratic senators to “plot strategy for the coming days,” as the presidential primary season comes to a close, according to the Washington Post.

The Congressional Quarterly reports:

The other participants were Thomas R. Carper of Delaware and Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland.

Senior Democratic aides said Harkin and Salazar were playing the role of fair brokers, unaligned with either camp, and were trying to go about persuading uncommitted members to pick a candidate, without pressuring them.

“We’re conflicted here . . . because we have huge regard and affection for both Hillary and Barack,” Carper said.

“We’re going to meet again to talk further. What our common interest is in unifying the party, sooner rather than later,” he said.

Salazar, who helped organize the meeting, joked that he was now serving as the leader of a new clique: “I’m in the Peacemaking Caucus,” he said.

Salazar is one of four Democratic super delegates from Colorado who have yet to declare a preference between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The others are Gov. Bill Ritter and Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall.

The Rocky Mountain News reports the meeting didn’t lead an agreement to endorse as a group:

Later, Salazar said the meeting had been “a dialogue without an agenda” and added he had spoken to “12 or 13” Democratic colleagues in the past few days.

“I could make the argument for either one of them,” Salazar said about Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. “Many people can make the argument that maybe the best thing would be for both of them to be on the same ticket.”

Salazar said the possibility of a joint ticket was discussed at today’s meeting. “There was some of that discussion, but there’s no conclusion,” he said.

The Washington Post article cites a CNN story that claims “most” of the remaining uncommitted senators plan to endorse Obama after the race’s final primaries Tuesday in South Dakota and Montana.

Obama supporters have been “pressing” for these superdelegates to endorse earlier in the week, but according to one source, “the senators don’t want to pound Hillary Clinton, and there is a sense she should be given a grace period.”

Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), another undeclared super delegate, tells Time Magazine :

“Senator Obama is trying to line up people that are going to come out for him tomorrow during the day so that he’ll have enough that puts him over the top that he can declare victory tomorrow,” said Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire, one of about 200 superdelegates under pressure to take a side in the contest.

“He apparently is telling people that he has the numbers, and that’s what’s going to happen, at which point it would become moot what the rest of us do,” said Altmire, who added that he will wait until after the final votes and make a decision by week’s end.

As of 4:00 p.m. Monday, Obama had 2075.5 delegates, needing 41.5 to claim a winning majority of the 2117 (after Florida and Michigan delegations were seated by a DNC committee Saturday). Clinton is 200.5 delegates short of a majority.

A total of 31 delegates are up for grabs in Tuesday’s primaries. Undeclared super delegates stand at 197.5 (including some from Florida and Michigan, who have one-half vote apiece).