“I believe our constituents elect us to view our district in its entirety, to know the needs of the district — who we can best work with, who best understands our issues,” she said. “It’s not uncommon that we vote here in Congress differently from how one individual community might feel, so I agree with Mr. Hoyer.

“I’ve known Sen. Clinton and Sen. Clinton has been in my district at least six times,” she said. “My job is to take all that information and know who will best work with me.”

“Why wasn’t it part of the rules when [the party] established superdelegates?” said Richardson.

At a meeting with reporters Wednesday, Pelosi qualified her earlier remarks by stating superdelegates may make their own decisions, saying, “I believe superdelegates have to use their own judgment and there will be many equities that they have to weigh when they make the decision. Their own belief and who they think will be the best president, who they think can win, how their own region voted, and their own responsibility.”

But a Democratic aide close to the Speaker said that despite the most recent qualification, Pelosi still believes superdelegates should be extremely wary about altering the election’s course.

“The Speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters,” said the aide.

Other Democrats share her concern. They argue that it would be damaging if party officials, instead of regular voters, decided the outcome of the primary. They fear that tens of thousands of new Democratic voters may conclude their ballots count for little.

“In my district it would be catastrophic for the Democratic Party to ignore the wishes of voters and play this inside baseball,” said Rep. Lacy Clay (D), an Obama supporter whose St. Louis-based district holds an important trove of Democratic votes in statewide races.

Pelosi and Hoyer have remained neutral as to which candidate should be the nominee.