Texas Democratic Party warns against suit

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- The Texas Democratic Party said a potential lawsuit by one of the party's presidential hopefuls over the state's delegate selection might turn off voters.

The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Friday that if one or both of the campaigns files a lawsuit it could spoil Democrats' effort to re-energize voters.

"It has been brought to my attention that one or both of your campaigns may already be planning or intending to pursue litigation against the Texas Democratic Party," Texas Democratic Party attorney Chad Dunn said in a letter to Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and her rival, Sen Barack Obama of Illinois. The newspaper reported that neither Clinton nor Obama of Illinois said they were planning to file a lawsuit before Tuesday's primary.

"Both campaigns have made it clear that they would go there if they had to, but I think the imminent threat is coming from one campaign," one senior Democratic official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper.

Another Democratic source told the newspaper that the Clinton campaign had hinted at a lawsuit in a telephone call this week.

"Officials from Senator Clinton's campaign at several times throughout the call raised the specter of 'challenging the process,'" the official said.