After losing the Mountain state by more than 40 percentage points, today Obama picked up the support of the state’s senior senator, Robert Byrd. “After a great deal of thought, consideration and prayer over the situation in Iraq, I have decided that, as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, I will cast my vote for Senator Barack Obama for President,” Byrd said in a statement.

The repentant former Ku Klux Klan member said he purposefully waited until after his state’s primary to endorse and praised both Democrats as “extraordinary.”  But, in another sign the Democratic Party is rallying around Obama continued, “I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history. Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support.

Obama had previously been endorsed by West Virginia’s other senator, Jay Rockefeller, who has appeared on the campaign trail with Obama.

California’s movie-star Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger is throwing his support behind John McCain—giving the Senator his second major endorsement in less than 24 hours.

On Wednesday, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race and endorsed McCain. Both Rudy and Ah-nuld accompanied McCain on a tour of a Los Angeles solar technology company Thursday. Afterward, a reporter asked whether the support of the governor and mayor do anything to help the Senator with the conservative wing of the Republican party.
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Gov. Schwarzenegger explained why he decided to endorse McCain, when just days ago he said he was staying out of it.
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The endorsement was McCain’s only public event of the day. That means he spent almost two days in California, and never held a campaign event where he actually met voters face to face. A McCain aide said the only thing the campaign wanted circulated Thursday was the image of the Senator with the governor.

Tonight, John McCain claimed victory in the Florida primary.

Numerous reports say rival Rudy Giuliani will drop out of the race tomorrow and endorse the Senator. No one from the McCain campaign will confirm it. But McCain made a special point of thanking Giuliani in his victory speech:

“I want to thank my dear friend, Rudy Giuliani, who invested his heart and soul in this primary, and who conducted himself with all the qualities of the exceptional American leader he truly is. Thank you, for all you have added to this race, and for being an inspiration to me and millions of Americans.”

Word is Giuliani may announce the endorsement tomorrow, at a joint press conference with McCain in the Los Angeles area.

With 97 percent of Florida precincts reporting, McCain had 36 percent of the vote, compared to Romney’s 31 percent.