Del. Spruill to attend Clinton's speech tonight in New York

Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, is on his way to New York to attend U.S. Sen. Hillary’s Clinton’s speech tonight.

Spruill, a Virginia superdelegate who has remained steadfastly loyal to Clinton, said he was invited by the campaign - with all expenses paid.

“You can’t turn that down,” Spruill said.

The party's last presidential primaries are being held today in South Dakota and Montana. Spruill said he is not expecting Clinton to drop out of the campaign tonight and said he has been told she will remain a candidate until she is convinced that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has enough national delegates to cinch the Democratic nomination.

Spruill said Clinton won his devotion last year when she arranged a private meeting with him in Northern Virginia and asked for his support.

“She was the only candidate who personally asked me to support her,” he said. “She didn’t take me for granted.”

Spruill said he does not expect Clinton to linger in the race if it becomes clear Obama has the nomination wrapped up. “If he gets the numbers and she persists on, it’s going to hurt us in November," he said.

“But I’m still hanging in there with her tonight,” he said.

Also today, Susan Swecker, chairman of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control board and a longtime Democratic activist, said she is sticking with Clinton but does not expect her to remain in the race much longer.

“It is apparent that Sen. Obama will be the nominee and from the moment that occurs, I will do everything I can to support him,” she said.

Richard Cranwell, the chairman of the state Democratic Party, said if Obama becomes the only candidate before the state party convention is concluded on June 14, he would have no problem supporting him.

Obama's campaign announced today that the candidate will visit Virginia in Thursday.  He will visit a high school in Bristol in southwestern Virginia, and will hold a rally at the Nissan Pavillion in Bristow in northern Virginia.