Senate Endorsement Watch

Three United States senators are still campaigning for their party’s nomination for President, but who are their Senate colleagues pulling for?

Earlier this week, Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) won a coveted Democratic endorsement from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt.) who chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee and the Republican National Committee eagerly took notice.

“The Democratic senators' rejection of Clinton is nothing short of stunning,” RNC spokesman Alex Conant said in an email to reporters. “Clinton is running on her record, but those that know it best –- her Senate colleagues -- are increasingly rejecting her candidacy."

Clinton still leads Obama with Senate endorsements though. She has 10. Obama has seven. Republican Sen. John McCain leads the pack on both sides o the aisle with 12. McCain made headlines this week when the reliably conservative Sen. Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.) threw his support to the Arizona senator.

Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul have been endorsed by any U.S. senators. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has no Senate endorsements, either.

Here are the counts:

Clinton: 10 Senators

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)

Obama: 7 Senators
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)

McCain: 12 Senators
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.)
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)
Sen. John Warner (R-Va.)

Candidates who are not U.S. Senators, but have obtained endorsements from senators are:

Rudy Giuliani: 3 Senators
Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.)
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)

Mitt Romney: 5 Senators
Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.)
Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah)
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

Fred Thompson (Former Tennessee Senator): 5 Senators
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

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