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PROVIDENCE — State Attorney General Patrick Lynch has endorsed presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, a decision that puts Lynch at odds with most of Rhode Island’s political elites, including his own brother, who have united behind Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“I feel that I would be missing the moment — missing a moment that might never be reclaimed — if I do not make my vote count the most that it can count and declare my support for Senator Barack Obama,” Lynch said in a statement released yesterday.

Lynch becomes the last of Rhode Island’s state officers or congressional delegation to endorse a presidential candidate, aside from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, who has been neutral. While Rep. Patrick Kennedy broke ranks by backing Obama last month, the rest of the state’s top Democrats support Clinton.

“This has been a very long process and a very, very challenging process for me personally and politically,” Lynch said in an interview yesterday.

State Democratic Party Chairman William J. Lynch, the attorney general’s brother, is among those backing Clinton.

“The Clintons have been very good to Rhode Island. They’ve made it kind of a second home … I know Hillary Clinton in a way I just don’t know Barrack Obama,” William Lynch said, adding that he wasn’t upset by his sibling’s decision. “This is America. He’s got a right to support whoever he wants.”

Patrick Lynch acknowledged he had been lobbied heavily in recent weeks by both sides, especially the Clinton camp.

Among Obama supporters, Lynch said he was contacted by Kennedy and Brown University basketball coach, Craig Robinson, Obama’s brother-in-law. Despite “last-minute pitches” from Clinton supporters to stay neutral, Lynch said he was moved by Obama’s ability to inspire people.

“I’ve never felt like this about a candidate,” he said. “My dad [longtime Pawtucket Mayor Dennis Lynch], I felt it for him when he ran, but that was more love … I can’t think of anyone else I’ve ever looked at in my lifetime that’s touched me and has an opportunity to touch the world in this way.”

Lynch will travel to Maine with Kennedy this morning to campaign for Obama as Mainers prepare to caucus today. He said he has no specific plans to work for Obama after Maine, but expects to be busy in Rhode Island as the state prepares for its March 4 presidential primary.

While the Republican nomination is all but locked up by Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Democratic race is very much up in the air.

After today, the candidates turn their attention to Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, all holding primaries on Tuesday. The Clinton campaign has sought to lower expectations for the Tuesday contests, with an eye toward the delegate-rich states of Ohio and Texas that join Rhode Island on March 4.

Patrick Lynch acknowledged that it would be difficult to sway Rhode Island’s overwhelming support for Hillary Clinton. He said he hoped his endorsement would simply make people consider an alternative.

“I want to let people know you don’t have to go with the political tide,” he said. “You can stand up and change the direction the waves are going.”

Lynch’s endorsement is also significant because he is a “superdelegate” with an automatic vote at the Democratic Party’s national convention this summer. Other superdelegates include William Lynch, Rep. James Langevin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

Regardless of how the state votes, the superdelegates can back either candidate at the convention and play an important role in a tight race.

Yesterday’s announcement followed a brief conversation with Obama Friday night.

The attorney general had been told to expect a phone call at 6:50 p.m. He gathered in his South Main Street office with his son and daughter, his brother John and a handful of his staff members. William Lynch was not there.

Patrick Lynch recorded the speaker-phone conversation to share it with his mother later.

The phone rang at exactly 6:50 p.m. Lynch playfully addressed Obama as “president” instead of “senator,” but the conversation quickly turned serious, according to Lynch.

Obama formally asked for the endorsement. “I said I’m making this decision because I believe in you. That’s what I said to him. And I do,” Lynch said.

Lynch shared with Obama that Rhode Island is traditionally “Clinton country.”

“We both recognize that, but we talked about the opportunity we had,” Lynch said.

Rhode Island’s Democratic primary is not a winner-take-all affair. Democratic candidates may split the state’s 32 delegates based on the vote distribution.

Obama released a statement yesterday thanking Lynch for the endorsement.

“I thank Attorney General Lynch for his support. As attorney general, he has dedicated himself to fighting crime and making our streets safer,” Obama said. “He is helping strengthen Rhode Island’s schools and knows the importance of giving our kids the tools they need early on to make the right decisions later in life. I’m looking forward to working with him as we bring the country together to bring change we can believe in.”