Barack Obama had not spoken with U.S. Rep. John Lewis as of Friday morning. Neither had Hillary Clinton. Lewis and his staff weren't returning calls.

That lack of communication left a vacuum in Friday's political spin cycle after the overnight bombshell report that Lewis planned to drop Clinton and cast his superdelegate vote for Obama at the Democratic Party's national convention in August.

Lewis' spokeswoman would only say that the New York Times report that Lewis would back Obama was "inaccurate," but provided no details and did not respond to requests for more. Jeff Zeleny, the Times reporter who interviewed Lewis on Thursday, later told CNN that Lewis "unequivocally" said he would support Obama.

One thing seemed certain by Friday afternoon: Lewis was in a difficult situation, personally and politically. He had endorsed Clinton late in 2007 and supported her through Georgia's Feb. 5 primary, which she lost -- badly -- to Obama. Now, as Obama has won half a dozen states in a row and has the clear momentum for the party's nomination, Democratic leaders across the country are facing intense pressure to back him.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) is one of Lewis' oldest friends in Congress. Clyburn is the House majority whip. Lewis is his chief deputy. The two first met in 1960 during the civil rights movement in Atlanta.

"I had a long talk with John yesterday," Clyburn said Friday in a telephone interview from his district office in Columbia, S.C. While Clyburn would not divulge what Lewis said, he shared that, "John is wrestling with this."

For many African-Americans leaders like Clyburn and Lewis, Obama's rise is in many ways what the civil rights movement was about: Working for the day an African-American had a legitimate chance to be president. For Lewis, the situation is complicated by his close relationship and support for Clinton.

"It's got to be tough," said Clyburn, who did not endorse before the Jan. 26 South Carolina primary and would not say for whom he would cast his own superdelegate ballot in Denver in August. "Most of us have grown up looking forward, you look forward to being part of making history. I guess a lot of us have been dealt a tough hand to have to try and make that choice."

The choice is there because of the party's complicated rules of selecting a nominee. When states hold primaries or caucuses, a certain number of delegates get awarded to each candidate, depending on the results. But each state also has a set number of superdelegates, party leaders and elected officials who are unpledged, meaning they could cast a ballot for either candidate at the convention.

So the question of whether Lewis will remain with Clinton or switch to Obama is an important one. In a contest as close as the Clinton-Obama race, every vote counts, but some count more than others. Lewis is an icon in the party and is seen by some as a "gateway" player. If he switches, it could make it easier for other Clinton supporters to do the same.

Obama, for one, would welcome Lewis' support, but said superdelegates should "ratify" the decision voters make in the primary process.

"I have not spoken to Congressman Lewis," Obama told reporters in Wisconsin on Friday, according to a transcript provided by the campaign. "I put in a call to him after the report to find out what he was thinking, but I have not received word from him yet."

The Clinton campaign said she had not talked to Lewis, either.

Lewis, in particular, has been a tremendous asset for Clinton. If he switched, it would be devastating blow.

As one of the elder leaders of the civil rights movement, Lewis has traveled the country making the case that African-Americans should not be swayed by race alone in the potentially historic campaign.

Clinton has also been invoking Lewis whenever the question of race has moved to the forefront of the debate. In January, after members of the Kennedy family endorsed Obama, Clinton brought up Lewis as evidence of her own support from a 1960s icon.

"You know, when Congressman John Lewis endorsed me," she said in a nationally televised interview, "I know that was considered difficult for people in Sen. Obama's camp."

Throughout the primary process Lewis has remained loyal to Clinton -- but he also expressed admiration for Obama.

But in January, when a Republican political consultant in his district used an anonymous automated phone call to criticize Lewis for backing Clinton over Obama, Lewis said he would not consider switching sides.

"It's unthinkable," Lewis told the AJC then. "You make a commitment, you keep that commitment."

While Lewis' allegiance is in question, that of fellow Georgia delegation member U.S. Rep. David Scott is not. Scott, who had endorsed Clinton, confirmed that he would cast his ballot for Obama at the convention.

Another superdelegate, Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, said he has received calls and messages from people urging him to back Obama.

"These are my friends and colleagues," he said, "not strangers. We're having lively discussions."

Thurmond told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday that news of Scott's switch and the confusion surrounding Lewis' position has not affected his own standing.

"I endorsed her in the primary and I stand by that endorsement," Thurmond said.

That endorsement, however, does not guarantee his support at the convention, he said.

Being a superdelegate, Thurmond said, "means you have to pick the candidate that will best represent the party in the general election, irrespective of who you may have endorsed or may have supported during the primary and caucus process."

If he had to cast a ballot today as a superdelegate, he said, he'd vote for Clinton.

But, "the decision we have to make in August, we'll have to go through then," he said.

-- Staff Writer Bob Kemper contributed to this report.