Atlanta Mayor Endorses Obama

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin threw her support behind Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Wednesday following his disappointing second-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Franklin made the endorsement on the "Frank and Wanda Show" on Atlanta radio station WVEE-FM.

The endorsement comes as the presidential contest heads west to Nevada and south to South Carolina, where black voters are expected to play a critical role in the Democratic race.

Franklin, a two-term mayor of heavily black Atlanta, said Obama was "doing a terrific job."

"Barack's speech in Iowa comes as close to anything that I have seen that speaks to his own experience but also gives voice to the restlessness we have about where America is going to be in the future," Franklin said.

"So, I'm really excited about his candidacy," she said.

Franklin had previously declined to endorse a candidate. But she told the station during the interview Wednesday, "I am stunned by his maturity; I am stunned by his presence, by his willingness to step forward and be himself."

Franklin is among the more prominent black leaders in Georgia. Her endorsement represents a break with some other black leaders in the state, including Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero, who is backing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic race. Franklin's mentor, former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, also is backing Clinton.

Obama is seeking to become the nation's first black president.

Nevada's presidential caucuses are Jan. 19, South Carolina's Democratic primary is Jan. 29 and Georgia's primary is on Feb. 5, when two dozen states hold presidential contests.