REGIONAL— Eighth District Congressman Rick Nolan announced this past week that he will be supporting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his bid for the Democratic nomination for president.

The announcement, issued by the Congressman last Saturday, comes following significant input from DFL constituents within the Eighth District, which overwhelmingly backed Sanders in Minnesota’s March 1 caucuses. “I’ve considered a number of factors in making this decision, including the will of Minnesota caucus attendees, specifically those voting in the Eighth Congressional District,” said Nolan in a statement issued by his campaign. “Bernie’s message and his authenticity appeals to voters here, and it appeals to me. I’ll be proud to cast my vote for him in Philadelphia this summer.”

The announcement is an indication of the somewhat tenuous nature of so-called “superdelegate” support. As a member of Congress, Nolan is one of 16 top state officeholders and Democratic Party officials who qualify as superdelegates, which means they can vote for any candidate at the party’s national convention this summer, regardless of the preferences expressed by Democratic voters who participated in the selection process. For months, the Clinton campaign had counted Nolan as a superdelegate who was supporting her candidacy. According to Nolan campaign spokesperson Joe Radinovich, the Congressman was invited to, and did attend, a Clinton fundraiser in the summer of 2014, well before the race was really underway. He said Nolan’s attendance at that event appears to have been the basis for the Clinton campaign’s claim of his support.

Last week, Radinovich told the Timberjay that Nolan was uncommitted in the race, an announcement that drew an attack against Nolan from his Republican challenger, Stewart Mills, who accused Nolan of “flip-flopping,” citing the Timberjay news report. Mills also complained that Nolan was failing to back the views of his constituents, who had backed Sanders 65-35 percent in Eighth District caucuses.

After hearing from constituents and observing the race, however, Nolan has now decided to throw his weight to Sanders. The issue of superdelegates, which do not exist on the Republican side, has rankled many Sanders supporters, who complain that the party’s establishment is ignoring the views of rank and file Democrats. While Sanders has won nearly half of the overall primary vote to date— and won another caucus victory in Wyoming on Saturday— Clinton appears to enjoy an overwhelming lead among superdelegates nationwide.

That size of that lead may be somewhat in doubt, however, since many superdelegates, including those currently listed as backing Clinton, have indicated they will support whichever candidate arrives at the party’s July convention with the most pledged delegates, which are awarded by voters in statewide primaries and caucuses. Clinton currently holds a roughly 225-delegate lead among pledged delegates, with 1,941 delegates yet to be decided.

Regardless of the outcome, Nolan said he’s happy to back either Clinton or Sanders against whoever is the eventual Republican nominee. “The Democratic Party is fortunate to have two qualified presidential candidates, both of whom offer substantive solutions to the problems facing Americans,” said Nolan.