Sen. Hillary Clinton officially suspended her hard-fought campaign and endorsed Sen. Barack Obama today. She made public her endorsement in a speech to thousands of her supporters at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

From The Fix blog on the Washington Post site:

“I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the race he has run,” Clinton said of Obama. “I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.”
…
“I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight but the Democratic party is a family and now it is time to restore the ties that bind us together,” Clinton urged. “We may have started on separate journeys but today our paths have merged.”

Both candidates need to put in a lot of work to restore unity in the Democratic party. My impression of many Obama and Clinton supporters is that both are fiercely loyal to their candidate; Clinton’s followers may need some real convincing to switch to Obama, who has been their opponent throughout the campaign. Case in point: CNN reports that Clinton’s announcement was met with “a scattering of boos and thumbs down” from her supporters today.

Obama responded to Clinton’s endorsement today:

“Obviously, I am thrilled and honored to have Sen. Clinton’s support. But more than that, I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run. She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans.”

Obama watched Clinton’s speech over the Internet on a computer, a campaign aide said. He put in a call to Clinton afterward, but was told by a Clinton assistant that she was speaking with supporters.

Clinton gave her speech with husband Bill, daughter Chelsea and mother Dorothy Rodham in attendance. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Clinton and Obama when they campaign together. Or will they campaign together? Perhaps she’ll rally her supporters separately on his behalf? I think they need to do some appearances together - soon - to show the Democratic party that they are truly committing to a united front against Republican opponent John McCain.