WASHINGTON – A group called VoteBoth has been leading the charge for Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama to team up on the Democratic ticket.

The Associated Press

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign went full steam ahead Sunday as she appeared in Eleanor, W.Va.

But the people behind it come from just one of those camps – Mrs. Clinton's.

VoteBoth first filed with the Federal Election Commission on April 8. The group's original mission promoted the idea of Mrs. Clinton as the nominee with Mr. Obama as her running mate.

On May 1, two days after Mr. Obama's renouncement of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, VoteBoth amended its mission: a joint ticket in either order.

Last week, as Mr. Obama's strong showing made him all but certain to clinch the nomination, VoteBoth leaders began putting themselves in the spotlight, through news releases, blog posts and interviews.

"VoteBoth does not aim to pick who leads the ticket," group founder Adam Parkhomenko wrote Tuesday on HuffingtonPost.com, as voters went to the polls in North Carolina and Indiana. He wrote of friends who "believe in Barack as strongly as I believe in Hillary" and wanting to be inclusive "as a matter of fairness, practicality, experience and hope."

Mr. Parkhomenko until recently was an assistant to Patti Solis Doyle, Mrs. Clinton's former campaign manager. He founded the Draft Hillary for President Committee in 2003.

On Friday, Mr. Parkhomenko said through a spokesman that his decision to change the mission came after talking to an Obama supporter. He also said he gave neither the Clinton nor Obama campaigns a heads-up about his group.

VoteBoth's spokesman is Sam Arora, who in recent years worked for Mrs. Clinton and for Terry McAuliffe, Mrs. Clinton's campaign chairman.

In an interview Friday, Mr. Arora said VoteBoth is not coordinated with the Clinton campaign, and is "just a bunch of us volunteering our time because we think this is a good idea." He said it isn't just about supporting Mrs. Clinton but about bringing together the rivals' fundraising machines and constituencies.

"There's been a lot of talk about a unity ticket, and we think that's where the conversation should be," he said.

Mr. Obama's campaign declined to comment on VoteBoth. The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment.