Dennis Kucinich encouraged his Iowa supporters today to make Barack Obama their second choice candidate. Should Kucinich fail to receive the needed 15% support of caucus goers to remain viable, he asks that his supporters to realign behind Obama. The “second choice” vote is one that Obama has been pitching to voters for some days now.

“I hope Iowans will caucus for me as their first choice this Thursday, because of my singular positions on the war, on health care, and trade,” Kucinich said in a writen statement. “But in those caucus locations where my support doesn’t reach the necessary threshold, I strongly encourage all of my supporters to make Barack Obama their second choice.”

Why Obama? “Senator Obama and I have one thing in common: Change,” Kucinich said. Kucinich, also a “fringe candidate” in 2004, asked his supporters to go with John Edwards four years ago. According to sources inside the Kucinich campaign, the congressman chose Obama this time around because of comments Edwards made to Hillary Clinton on an open microphone after an earlier debate, saying candidates like Kucinich weren’t “serious.”

Senator Obama’s campaign issued a “thank you” statement, in which it was noted that “he and I have been fighting for a number of the same priorities — including an end to the war in Iraq that we both opposed from the start, reforming Washington and creating a better life for America’s working families.”

Soon after the thank you statement, the Obama issued another statement urging television networks to “allow full participation” in the upcoming debate in New Hampshire. Both the Kucinich and Obama campaigns insist no deals were brokered in exchange for this statement.

The senator phoned the congressman upon hearing the news to personally thank him. No word if Kucinich told Obama on the phone what he also said in the statement: “This is obviously an ‘Iowa only’ recommendation, as Sen. Obama and I are competing in the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday where I want to be the first choice of New Hampshire voters.”

Barack Obama has taken to asking voters to make him their second choice candidate - although he jokes they’d be better served if he were their first choice, of course. Why? Well, in order for a candidate to remain viable in the Iowa caucus system, he or she has to have at least 15% support from caucus goers. If a candidate, say a Chris Dodd, doesn’t get that magic percentage, his supporters will have to realign behind another candidate.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters on a conference call this morning that Obama and Edwards, and not Hillary Clinton, will be the two candidates likely to get support from Richardson, Kucinich, Dodd, and Biden supporters. Which could lead to Iowa success.

So Obama was sure to hear out 59-year-old Gene Blanshan, a self-described Biden supporter, at an event in Jefferson, Iowa. Blanshan asked the senator why he should pick Obama over Edwards as his second choice.

Obama spent a few minutes outlining the differences, including where he has consistently stood on issues like NAFTA, No Child Left Behind, and the Iraq war. He added, “The point I am making is in my gut, there is a consistency of who I am fighting for, what I believe in, choices I have made in my life that can give you some assurance of when I get into the White House, I am going to be fighting for you. And I am not going to be different as time goes on.”

Blanshan was immediately swarmed by the press following the event. He told us he asked Edwards the same question - and he made up his mind as to who his number two candidate is.

done