Obama gets Vermont superdelegate

Despite his losses on Tuesday, Barack Obama continues to pick up support from superdelegates, narrowing the gap with Hillary Clinton among the group who could decide the Democratic nominee.

The latest is Ian Carleton, chairman of the state Democratic Party in Vermont, the only state Obama won on Tuesday.

"Vermonters overwhelmingly embraced Senator Obama's message of hope and change in our state's primary earlier this week, and so it is with great excitement and optimism that I pledge my support for Barack Obama," Carleton, a Burlington lawyer, said in a statement issued by the Obama campaign.

"Since the very beginning of his campaign I, along with so many Vermonters, have been deeply moved by Senator Obama's commitment to moving beyond the negative partisan rhetoric that has sadly characterized our nation's politics for so long. His leadership and vision for a more productive and decent future is exactly what this nation needs at this moment in history."

Obama leads among pledged delegates -- those decided by primaries and caucuses -- but the Obama and Clinton campaigns agree that neither will reach the magic 2,025 number without the superdelegates, nearly 800 elected officials, party leaders, and others who are free agents and can pick whichever candidate they want. About 270 of them are still uncommitted, according to the Associated Press.