02 June 2008
Democrats Reach Compromise Plan for Michigan, Florida Delegates
Barack Obama still favored to win nomination despite defeat in Puerto Rico
Washington -- After hours of debate in a Washington hotel May 31, members of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC’s) bylaws and rules committee approved a plan to give Michigan and Florida’s delegates half a vote each.
In the fall of 2007, the DNC said it would not count Florida and Michigan’s pledged delegates because the states violated party rules by scheduling their primaries prior to February 5. All Democratic presidential candidates agreed not to campaign in those states, and Barack Obama and most other Democratic candidates removed their names from the Michigan ballot.
But, because the Democratic contest remains close, party members encouraged the DNC to review this decision.
Hillary Clinton, who earned the most votes in both states’ primaries, argued that those voters deserve to have their voices heard. Obama said it was unfair to count those delegates because candidates did not campaign in those states. Supporters of both candidates feared that barring Florida’s and Michigan’s delegate votes would prompt angry voters in those states to support Republican John McCain.
The rules committee meeting, broadcast live on some cable news channels, sometimes was contentious, as representatives for both Clinton and Obama argued their proposals for counting the delegates. Protesters outside the meeting made their opinions known as well.
The committee members voted to allow the entire Michigan and Florida delegations to participate in the convention, but each delegate -- pledged and unpledged -- will cast half a vote. The committee’s action affects the votes of the entire delegation, not just the delegates selected through the primary.
That action changes the nomination math: There are now 4,234 delegate votes available, with a majority of 2,118 needed to earn the nomination. The addition of Michigan and Florida delegates earned Clinton 87 delegates and Obama 63.
In Florida, delegates will cast 92.5 pledged votes, split amongst the candidates based on the percentage of the vote each candidate earned in the January 29 primary.
Determining how to allocate votes within the Michigan delegation was more complex because Obama’s name did not appear on the state’s ballot. Clinton earned 55 percent of the vote in the January 15 primary, while 40 percent voted for “uncommitted.” With no major candidates but Clinton on the ballot, it is impossible to know what percentage of the uncommitted voters would have voted for Obama.
Clinton’s campaign maintained she deserved 55 percent of the delegates, with the others going to “uncommitted.” Obama’s campaign argued the delegates should be split evenly between the two. The rules committee found middle ground: Clinton will receive 34.5 pledged delegates, while Obama will get 29.5 delegates.
The Michigan decision angered some Clinton supporters. “The committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our party,” campaign staff members Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy said in a statement.
“We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the credentials committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.”
The credentials committee meets on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver August 25 and makes the final decision on seating delegates. The statement from the Clinton camp hinted that the New York senator might stay in the race until the convention.
According to the Green Papers, an organization that tracks the awarding of delegates, as of the evening of June 1, Obama had 1,740.5 pledged delegates while Clinton had 1,624.5 pledged delegates. With just 31 pledged delegates left to award in the June 3 South Dakota and Montana primaries, neither candidate will be able to secure the nomination with pledged delegates alone.
This means that votes of superdelegates -- unpledged party leaders and elected officials -- will determine the party’s nominee. Currently, 328.5 superdelegates say they intend to vote for Obama, while 290 favor Clinton. If these superdelegates are included in the tallies, Obama has 2069 delegates, 49 delegates shy of the nomination.
CLINTON WINS PUERTO RICO PRIMARY BY LARGE MARGIN
Voters on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, the largest U.S. territory, participated in a unique Democratic primary June 1. Puerto Ricans, who can vote in the presidential primaries but not the general election, had the rare opportunity to hear directly from the candidates as both Clinton and Obama campaigned on the island, where Spanish is the dominant language.
Clinton won the Puerto Rico primary with 69 percent of the vote. Despite this, political experts say Obama is more likely to win the nomination because he has more pledged delegates and superdelegate endorsements. Obama also is favored to win the South Dakota and Montana primaries.
In her speech in San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 1, Clinton emphasized the race will not end with the final state nominating contests.
“When the voting concludes on Tuesday, neither Senator Obama nor I will have the number of delegates to be the nominee,” Clinton said.
“The decision will fall on the shoulders of those leaders in our party empowered by the rules to vote at the Democratic convention,” Clinton said, referring to the superdelegates.
Addressing them, she said: “I do not envy the decision you must make, but the decision has to be made, and in the final assessment I ask you to answer these questions: Which candidate best represents the will of the people who voted in this historic primary? Which candidate is best able to lead us to victory in November? And which candidate is best able to lead our nation as our president?”
Speaking in front of the Mitchell, South Dakota, Corn Palace, Obama congratulated Clinton on her win, saying she will be “a great asset when we go into November to make sure that we defeat the Republicans.”
