Fifth Congressional Congresswoman (and super-delegate) Niki Tsongas, in an A.P. interview carried in the Herald, says she is undecided in the presidential race. She is saying that she will make a call by the end of June, and that a longer wait could have negative consequences for the party.

She says most undecided Democratic superdelegates know they risk hurting their party’s chances in the fall if they wait too long to rally behind a candidate.

“I don’t have firm numbers, but I just have a sense that everybody understands what’s at risk for the Democrats if we wait too long,” Tsongas said.

Tsongas indicated a desire to wait until the primary season is over before making her determination.

“There are a lot of voters who still want to weigh in on this — and I value that and don’t want to shortchange it,” Tsongas said. “But once we get through that, then I feel an obligation to make a decision.”

Her criteria will be varied.

Tsongas said that among the factors she will weigh are electability, the results of the final primaries and caucuses and the fact that Clinton won both Massachusetts and Tsongas’ congressional district. Clinton prevailed in the Feb. 5 Massachusetts primary by a 56 to 41 percent margin over Obama.

I think the hope is that the last series of contests produce a breakaway candidate.

“A whole host of factors will play a role that are hard to predict at this moment,” Tsongas said. “We’ll either have more of the same — in which the role of the superdelegates will be important — or there will be an emergent, stronger candidate instead of this sort of standoff which we are in now.”

“Emergent, stronger candidate?” Well, Al is waiting in the wings offstage.