By Pamela Gentry, Senior Poltical Producer 

Posted June 3, 2008 – Sen.  Barack Obama will become the first Black candidate to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination today.  The 46 year-old’s unconventional and hi-tech campaign,  out raised, out spent and out lasted his seasoned rival Sen. Hillary Clinton.  

Today, after voters in South Dakota and Montana cast their ballots, the Democratic presidential primary season officially will be over.   But it’s anybody guess whether Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) will withdraw from the race or suspend her campaign.   

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has earned the pledged delegates the hard way, one primary at a time.  This week the super-delegates are stepping up and saying publicly what they’ve told these candidates privately, whom they are supporting for the nomination.   

After months of avoiding that very question, on Monday, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said this morning he’ll cast his super-delegate vote for the freshman Illinois senator.

“I believe the nomination of Senator Obama is our Party’s best chance for victory in November, and our nation’s best hope for much needed change.  Senator Obama brings a new vision for our future and new voters to our cause,” Clyburn said.

Clyburn, the highest-ranking Black member of Congress and the third-ranking member of the House of Representatives (behind the Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader), wanted to let the primaries play out before announcing his choice for the nomination.  Four months ago, his home state of South Carolina gave Obama a decisive victory. My guess is that Clyburn decided to make his announcement just in case Clinton decides to hang around and keep battling until the Democratic Convention in Denver in August.

 Clyburn, like most other Democratic Party stalwarts, wants to head into Denver with a party that is unified and committed to defeating Republican John McCain in November. Most of the 17 Democratic senators who are uncommitted are also expected to endorse Obama in coming days.   While he will likely get the 46 elected delegates necessary to seal his nomination bid after the polls close later today, a united front from his colleagues in Congress would send a strong signal to the Republicans – and to Hillary, of course – that the party is strongly behind Barack.

 Clinton and Obama almost evenly split the support of Black lawmakers in Congress.

Most lawmakers, Black and White, wanted to wait until after today’s primaries as a courtesy to Clinton, in hopes of avoiding the appearance of pushing her from the race before reaching the finish line.

 Obama has been targeting his remarks on the campaign trail toward the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain over the last few weeks. He told reporters Monday, “It is my sense that between Tuesday and Wednesday we have a good chance of getting  [2,118]  that number” of delegates.

He was right, according to estimates by The Associated Press, he has the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

As for party unity, Obama’s sending signals, that all will be well in the party when it comes time for the general election.  “There’s been thinking, well, are the Clinton folks going to support the Obama folks and are the Obama folks going to get together with the Clinton folks,” Obama said.”Senator Clinton has run an outstanding race, she is an outstanding public servant, and she and I will be working together in November.”

Tonight Obama and his wife Michelle will wait for the results from South Dakota and Montana in St. Paul, Minn., where a rally is planned. Clinton will hold a rally in her home state of New York.

That’s odd, isn’t it?  

The Huffington Post is reporting Clinton has invited her top donors and supporters to attend her speech in New York City.  The invitation has fueled speculation she has plans to suspend her campaign and/or endorse Obama.

We’ll just have to wait and see.