CLEVELAND (AP) -- Former Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd has endorsed Barack Obama.
The Connecticut senator made the announcement today in Cleveland. The endorsement comes a week before crucial contests in Ohio and Texas.
Obama and rival Hillary Rodham Clinton had been vying for Dodd's support since he exited the race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses last month.
Dodd also is a superdelegate, one of nearly 800 Democratic officeholders and party officials who automatically attend the national convention and can vote for whomever they choose.