Clinton secures endorsement, superdelegate vote from Keystone State AFL-CIO president

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton: Photo by Getty Images Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton scored a key endorsement today from the president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, who happens to also be a Democratic Party superdelegate.

Bill George, the state AFL-CIO's chief, came to his decision after reviewing the results and the exit polls from Pennsylvania's primary election from last week.

"Clinton was the best equipped to beat Sen. John McCain in a general election and deliver real solutions to the challenges facing the working families of Pennsylvania and the nation," he said in a statement. "By winning Pennsylvania by a majority of 55 percent to 45 percent and by an even larger margin 59 percent to 41 percent among working families it would be disingenuous for me not to commit my vote for Senator Clinton."

There are six elected superdelegates who are still uncommitted in the Keystone State. They include U.S. Reps. Jason Altmire, Mike Doyle, Tim Holden, Christopher Carney and Robert Brady.

Clinton, the junior U.S. Senator from New York, has now won support from 16 superdelegates in Pennsylvania while her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, has support from five.

"Senator Clinton's courage and persistence in seeking out her objectives and goals for working people have convinced me as a super delegate that she deserves my vote. On the issues that matter most to working people - economic progress, health care, good jobs and fair trade - she has demonstrated exemplary leadership and the ability to best represent working families," George said.

Clinton also garnered superdelegate support from North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley on Tuesday.

A superdelegate in the Democratic Party is a party leader or elected official who will attend the presidential nominating convention. Superdelegates are not tied to decisions made by voters their state's primary. There are approximately 800 superdelegates across the nation who are free to cast votes for either Clinton or Obama during this summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver.