Former Massachusetts State Rep. Raymond Jordan supported Bill Clinton for president in 1992 and worked in Clinton’s administration in the 1990s.

But last month was the first time Jordan, 64, ever received a call from the former president, according to the Boston Globe.

“Raymond Jordan, this is Bill Clinton, and I’m calling you because we’re calling all the superdelegates,” Jordan said, recalling the conversation.

A week later, Jordan received a phone call from Sen. Hillary Clinton, but it was too late. He had decided to support Sen. Barack Obama.

The neck-and-neck race for the Democratic presidential nomination may not be decided until the party convention in August, when superdelegates - party loyalists granted a delegate vote - make their decisions.

In Massachusetts, where After W is headquartered, the race is already fierce for the state’s 26 superdelegates. As of yesterday, 10 are supporting Obama, nine are backing Clinton, six remain uncommitted, and one is neutral.

Mass. Rep. Richard Neal has indicated he will choose Clinton.

According to Democratic Party rules, superdelegates are under no obligation to follow the will of the voters, as history has shown.

In 1984, Massachusetts superdelegates lined up behind eventual nominee Walter F. Mondale, helping him carry the state at the convention, even though Gary Hart had won the state’s primary.

This year, with Hillary Clinton’s popular-vote victory in the state Super Tuesday, some of the same conflicts may be in play.

Consider Gov. Deval Patrick.

His endorsement of Barack Obama in October was a coup for the Illinois senator, but it was not enough to deliver the Bay State in the primary.

So, should Patrick accept the will of the voters who elected him in 2006 and go with Hillary Clinton, or vote his conscience as a superdelegate?

Expect stories like these from the Bay State to play out all across the U.S. if what some call the nightmare scenario occurs - and neither Clinton or Obama has run away with this thing after the primary season ends.