Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is expected to endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president today, adding fuel to the candidate's campaign eight days before the Massachusetts Democratic primary, party officials have reported.
Kennedy is expected to announce his endorsement during a campaign rally at American University in Washington, D.C. Obama will attend the rally, as will Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, who has already endorsed Obama.
Obama won the South Carolina primary Saturday by a commanding margin, reinvigorating a campaign that seemed to slide after consecutive losses to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucus.
The Massachusetts senator's endorsement will follow that of his junior colleague, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who backed Obama on Jan. 10. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick also issued his support for Obama on Oct. 3.
Sen. Kennedy is one of the Democratic Party's most influential senators, and he boasts strong financial and political clout across the country.
It may be this national influence that makes Kennedy's endorsement relevant. A Jan. 24 poll by SurveyUSA indicated that Clinton held a virtually insurmountable lead over Obama in the Bay State. Clinton garnered support from 59 percent of respondents, while Obama trailed with 22 percent in the poll, which had a margin of error of 4.1 percent.
Massachusetts and 21 other states will vote for the Democratic nominee on Feb. 5, a day known as "Super Tuesday" because so many caucuses and primaries take place then.
