Powerful delegates watching, waiting

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http://www.charlotte.com/171/story/489567.html


Unpleged votes may be key in Democrati race

By Lisa Zagarolli And Davin Ingram

WASHINGTON...U.S.Rep.Mel Watt is beubg courted because he hold a rather exclusive key to deciding who will get the Democratic presidential nomination. But he won't be using it soon.

"I'm just watching at this point, and will probably do that for a while. "Watt says.

The Charlotte Democrat is among 796 "superdelegates" who aren't required to vote for a particular candidate at the Convention and may be pivotal in determining the nominee.

North Carolina has 17 unpledged delegates, and two more will be named later at a state convention. Only four have sided with either of the front runnersso far-three for Sen.Barak Obamaof Illinois and one for Sen.Hillary Clinton of New York.

That's in part because several of the N.C.delegation had announced their top choice a year ago-former Sen.John Edwards.Since their fellow North Carolinan dropped out of the race last month,they'er reassessing their choice.

" I go to bevy of calls from both sides,"said Watt,who told them he was in no hurry to declare new allegiances.

" I kind of would like to see whether North Carolina is going to be a key state.I'd like to perhaps talk to some of my consitutebts abd see what they have to say "he added