[img_assist|nid=1526|title=U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=140|height=160]On Thursday night, superdelegate U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio joined his House colleagues, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and David Wu, in endorsing U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.

DeFazio's endorsement tips the superdelegate count in Oregon: three for Obama, and two (Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep. Darlene Hooley) for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. There are seven superdelegates in Oregon that are still publicly undecided.

According to DeFazio's statement:

Democrats are fortunate to have two strong candidates who want to change the direction of the country. Given the extraordinary importance of a Democratic victory to the future of this country, it is imperative that we have the strongest nominee possible. We must not allow Senator McCain to continue the failures of the Bush foreign policy, war in Iraq, and disastrous economic policies that would further cripple the country well into the future.

Senator Obama has proven he is able to energize young Americans, Independents, and even moderate Republicans to support his candidacy. I
believe he represents our best hope of winning in November, and puts the needs and priorities of hard working Americans ahead of the powerful special interests that have been extraordinarily favored by the Bush-Cheney administration.