The Trail

-- Juliet Eilperin

PARTY LINES

Clinton Comment Angers ColorOfChange Co-Founder

There was yet another sign of racial disharmony in the Democratic Party yesterday, as the leader of the influential black online advocacy group ColorOfChange.org lashed out at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). James Rucker, a co-founder of ColorOfChange, said Clinton's claim that her support from white, blue-collar voters gave her a broader base of support than Obama was "race baiting."

"The politics of division now seems to be her core strategy" to overcome Obama's lead in the primaries, said Rucker, who once worked for the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org. "It's a strategy where everyone loses; we can do better, and we should be able to expect better from Senator Clinton."

ColorOfChange, which has 400,000 members and relies on black bloggers to spread its message, recently circulated a petition warning the Democratic Party that adopting rules that could allow Clinton to overcome Obama's popular- and pledged-delegate vote leads "could be the worst mistake the party has ever made."

-- Darryl Fears

GAINING SUPPORT

Obama Picks Up Superdelegates

Nine superdelegates announced their support for Obama on Friday, further solidifying his position as the front-runner to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Obama got the backing of Reps. Donald M. Payne (N.J.), who switched his support from Clinton, Mazie K. Hirono (Hawaii) and several party officials.

Although Clinton enjoyed a substantial lead in superdelegate support earlier in the primary season, Obama has gained steadily as he has won a larger share of the popular vote and more primary contests. With the new endorsements, the Associated Press superdelegate count is Clinton 272.5 and Obama 271.

-- Debbi Wilgoren