HARTFORD, Conn.—U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson and Christopher Murphy of Connecticut endorsed fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president Saturday, saying his inspirational messages of hope and change are just what the country needs.
Obama, who has scheduled a campaign rally in Hartford on Monday, was also endorsed by Democratic state Treasurer Denise Nappier.
The announcements came as Connecticut prepared for its Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on Tuesday. Twenty-one other states are holding Democratic primaries and caucuses, while 20 others will have Republican primaries, caucuses and a convention on Super Tuesday.
"All across Connecticut, people are hungry for change," Obama said in a statement issued by his campaign Saturday. "They're tired of the gridlock and the division and the bickering; tired of a politics that tells us we can't come together to solve our problems.
"Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Chris Murphy, Denise Nappier and leaders in government and at the grassroots throughout Connecticut," he said, "are galvanizing a movement of people who know we can do better, and I'm thrilled to have their support heading into Tuesday's election."
DeLauro, the longtime New Haven area representative, announced her support for Obama at her home in New Haven Saturday morning.
"I know how much we need bold new policies," she said. "And the only way we will get there is with a new politics infused with this popular energy that will vanquish the special interests that are so dominant today. America needs change."
DeLauro said Obama offered the best hope for ending the war in Iraq, making health care affordable and improving the economy.
The Republican National Committee called DeLauro's endorsement a "devastating development" for the campaign of Obama's chief Democratic rival, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who also planned a campaign stop in Connecticut on Monday.
RNC spokeswoman Blair Latoff noted that DeLauro was once the director of EMILY's List, an influential national group dedicated to getting pro-choice Democratic women elected to public office. She also pointed out that DeLauro's husband, pollster Stanley Greenberg, was a close adviser of President Clinton.
Clinton has been endorsed by state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Comptroller Nancy Wyman, both Democrats. Bryan DeAngelis, a spokesman for Clinton's campaign, said she was proud that many Democratic officials in Connecticut are supporting her.
"We are just as proud of the thousands of Connecticut residents who have signed up to volunteer, who came out to see Hillary in Hartford last Monday morning, and who are doing all they can on grass roots level to elect Hillary as our next President," DeAngelis said.
Wyman added, "Given Hillary's strength and level of national support, if I were the Republicans I'd be trying to prevent her from being the nominee, too."
Later Saturday morning in Hartford, Larson and Murphy formally announced their support of Obama.
"I truly believe that Sen. Obama can be the antidote for the endemic cynicism and partisanship that plagues American democracy today," Murphy said. "Barack Obama's message lifts us up, and challenges Americans to look beyond what divides us and instead focus on our common values and aspirations."
Larson echoed Murphy's comments.
"I have nothing but respect for Sen. Clinton and President Clinton," Larson said. "But Obama is transcendent. His election to the presidency can inspire our nation and immediately send a message of real change to people around the globe."
Nappier praised Obama as "someone who can bring fresh approaches to our long-standing intractable problems, someone who can call this generation of Americans to a higher purpose, a more noble vision and a better future for ourselves and for generations to come."
Among other members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent, and Republican Rep. Christopher Shays are backing Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain for president. Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell is also supporting McCain, who will be in the state Sunday.
Sen. Christopher Dodd and Rep. Joe Courtney, both Democrats, have said they won't be endorsing anyone for the primary.
