President Obama Might Make His Pick for a Successor Soon

The Democratic candidate that voters in New Jersey and California primaries choose this week could affect when President Obama sticks his big, influential toe into the race. White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday did not rule out whether the upcoming contests could bring about a presidential endorsement for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Once the voters in New Jersey and California have an opportunity to express their preference about who should represent the Democratic Party in the general election, then we may be in a position where we have a much greater sense of what the outcome will be,” Earnest said.

The White House, however, is going to wait at least another 48 hours before making any official statements about the race. Voters in New Jersey, California, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico and South Dakota will head to the polls on Tuesday, with Clinton just a couple dozen delegates short of clinching the nomination (if you count pledged delegates and superdelegates). A win in any state would push Clinton over the edge, though Senator Bernie Sanders has pledged to stay in the race until the Democratic convention regardless. “It is extremely unlikely that Secretary Clinton will have the requisite number of pledged delegates to claim victory on Tuesday night,” Sanders said in Los Angeles over the weekend. A Democratic candidate would need 2,383 delegates to win the nomination. Clinton has 1,812 compared with Sanders’ 1,521 as of Monday, though Clinton has the pledged backing of 548 superdelegates.

Earnest said Monday the President has been in contact with both campaigns throughout the election season in an effort to remain neutral. The New York Times reported Monday that Obama is eagerly awaiting an opportunity to stump for Clinton on the campaign trail.