CBC members put their necks on the line for Clinton

Both women serve as national co-chairs of the Clinton campaign, and both have endured criticism for not supporting Obama. It's part of the running story line of the campaign, repeated over and over again from state to state. But as time goes by and Obama's chances rise, the pressure continues to build for black Clinton supporters to switch sides or remain silent.

Robert Muhammad, a regional minister for the Nation of Islam, told the Houston Chronicle recently that Jackson Lee was making the wrong decision. "My hope is that Ms. Clinton will concede and spare our congresswoman the potential backlash regarding her long-held seat," Muhammad said. "There is strong sentiment that the people in her district would want her to vote according to their will."

Neither Tubbs Jones nor Jackson-Lee appears deterred by the critics. Tubbs Jones even features a photo of herself with Hillary Clinton prominently on the main page of her web site. "I'm so proud to be a part of her campaign and the national stage," she said during a January campaign trip to South Carolina.

Although some journalists and commentators have observed that black women are torn between their race and their gender in the campaign, Tubbs Jones has actually been on both sides of the debate. Seven years ago in the Cleveland mayor's race, she supported Raymond Pierce, who is black, over Jane Campbell, a white woman with "strong ties to the black community."

Tubbs Jones and Jackson Lee are not alone in their position. Other prominent black supporters of Hillary Clinton include Reps. Charles Rangel of New York and Maxine Waters of California, Rev. Calvin Butts of the influential Abyssinian Church in Harlem, renowned poet Maya Angelou, former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, former NBA star Magic Johnson and BET founder Bob Johnson.

Many of the Clinton supporters may have a hard sell to their own constituents.  Most polls show that black voters overwhelmingly support Obama over Clinton, and at least one of Clinton's former supporters, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, abandoned ship last week and announced he was switching to the Obama campaign.

Jackson Lee can find comfort from fellow Clinton supporters in the Congressional Black Caucus, but not from her own state.  The state's two other CBC members, Eddie Bernice Johnson and Al Green, are endorsing Obama.