In yet another battle for delegates, John Edwards’s pledged delegates begin deciding which of the two Democratic nominees to support. Barack Obama won the first of these decisions in Iowa, enlarging his delegate lead over Hillary Clinton.

Mike Glover of the Associated Press reports, March 15, 2008:

Half the 14 delegates allocated to John Edwards on the basis of caucus night projections switched Saturday and Obama got most, if not all, of them.

Iowa Democratic Party officials said that with more than 86 percent of the delegates picked, Obama claimed 52 percent of the delegates elected at county conventions on Saturday, compared to 32 percent for Clinton. About 16 percent of the delegates picked at Saturday’s conventions were sticking with Edwards, even though he’s dropped from the race since Iowa held its caucuses in January.

With the pledged delegate count so crucial in the current Democratic politics, the direction of Edwards’s delegates is crucial, as is the possible inclusion of Florida and Michigan delegates.