Washington: Democrats made the road to their presidential nomination just slightly easier today, partly because of the sex scandal that brought down New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

The number of delegates needed to secure the party s nomination fell to 2,024 from 2,025 because of several changes among superdelegates. The highest profile change was Spitzer s resignation because of his involvement in a prostitution ring.

Superdelgates are party and elected officials who can support whomever they choose at the part s national convention in August, regardless of what happens in the primary election. All Democratic governors and members of Congress are superdelegates, as well as members of the Democratic National Committee. Almost 800 superdelegates will have votes at the convention, which will choose the party s candidate to face the Republican candidate in the November election to replace President George W Bush. The US Constitution does not allow Bush to run for a third term.

Spitzer was a superdelegate who had endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. His successor, David Paterson, already is a Clinton superdelegate through his position as an at-large member of the national committee.

In the overall race for the nomination, Senator Barack Obama had 1,617 delegates today, including 213 superdelegates. Clinton had 1,498 delegates, including 249 superdelegates, according to the latest Associated Press count.

Source : PTI