Superdelegates who haven't committed to a candidate

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We have a list of superdelegates to the 2008 Democratic Convention who have officially endorsed a candidate but who is left? Who hasn't made an official endorsement?

Let's take a look at which Democratic superdelegates haven't committed to a candidate yet. Along with our superdelegate list we will be updating this list as new endorsements are made.
This will be an ongoing work in progress so check back often for updates.

Note: As superdelegates have gained the spotlight quite a few of them have started to rethink their previous endorsements. More and more superdelegates are starting to announce that they will not commit to a candidate until they see how either their constituents vote or what the results of the primaries are.

Superdelegates highlighted in red are from Michigan or Florida and do not count toward the nomination at this time.

Superdelegates highlighted in green have committed to voting for the delegate leader at the end of the primaries.

Representatives Bud Cramer (AL) Nancy Pelosi (CA) Mike Honda (CA) Allen Boyd (FL)* Tim Mahoney (FL)* Jim Marshall (GA) Nancy Boyda (KS) Charlie Melancon (LA) Don Cazayoux (LA) Steny Hoyer (MD) John Tierney (MA) Edward Markey (MA) Collin Peterson (MN) Gene Taylor (MS) Rep. Travis Childers (MS) Charlie Wilson (OH) Marcia Kaptur (OH) Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) Rep. Dan Boren (OK) Tim Holden (PA) Lincoln Davis (TN) Bart Gordon (TN) Nick Lampson (TX) Distinguished Party Leaders (DPLs) Al Gore (TN) Fmr. Senator and Majority Leader George Mitchell (NY) Fmr. DNC Chair Bob Strauss (TX)

Senators Joe Biden (DE) Carl Levin (MI)* Governors John Lynch (NH) Add-Ons Alex Sink (FL)#* Steve Geller (FL)#* Rusty McAllister (NV)# Jerry Lee (TN)# 31 Unnamed Add-Ons

DNC Members Joe Turnham (AL) Nancy Worley (AL) Lottie Shackleford (AR) Art Torres (CA) Hon. Carole Migden (CA) Bob Mulholland (CA) Steve Ybarra (CA) Donna Brazile (DC) Christine Warnke (DC) Karen Thurman (FL)* Rudolph Parker (FL)* Terrie Brady (FL)* Andrew Tobias (FL)* Edward Smith (IL) Vacant (IL) Jennifer Moore (KY) Nathan Smith (KY) Elsie Burkhalter (LA) Susan Turnbull (MD) John Sweeney (MD) James Roosevelt Jr (MA) Elizabeth Bunn (MI)* Jeffrey Radjewski (MI)* Mark Brewer (MI)* Richard Shoemaker (MI)* Leila Medley (MO) Philip D. Murphy (NJ) Ralph Dawson (NY) Carol Peterson (NC) Ronald Malone (OH) Patricia Moss (OH) Jim Frasier (OK) Eliseo Roques-Arroyo (PR) Hon. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (SC) David Hardt (TX) Denise Johnson (TX) Linda Chavez -Thompson (TX) Hon. Alexis Herman (VA) Howard Dean (VT) Alice Germond (WV) Marylyn Stapleton (VI) Vacant - 1 (At-large) Vacant - 2 (At-large)

* Superdelegates from Florida, Michigan and Democrats Abroad count as 1/2 of a vote.
# Add-on Superdelegates

Notes:
2/7/08 - Removed Hon. Joan Fitz-Gerald (CO) from the list as she is no longer a member of the DLCC
2/19/08 - Donna Branch Gilby resigned as vice-chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. Her spot is now Vacant.
2/20/08 - Teresa Benitez-Thompson replaced Jill Derby as a Nevada superdelegate
2/29/08 - Changed PA DNC member from "Richard Donatucci" to "Ronald Donatucci"
3/6/08 - Added Mark Wilcox as Arkansas' add-on superdelegate. He's officially uncommitted.
3/11/08 - Added Cheryl Chapman as the SD Vice Chair (previously vacant). She was elected on February 16th. Added Andre Carson (IN). Total number of supers is 796.
3/16/08 - Added Vicky Harwell and Jerry Lee as Tennessee's 2 add-on superdelegates.
3/17/08 - Added DNC John Melcher (MT) who was seated on the National Democratic Seniors Coordinating Council and Mayor Brenda Lawrence (MI)* who was seated on the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. Both seats were previously vacant.
Replaced Rita Moran of Maine with Jennifer Dechant.
4/3/08 - Added DC add-on superdelegates Yvette Alexander(DC)# and Harry Thomas Jr.(DC)#
4/5/08 - Added MO add-on superdelegate Jay Nixon (MO)#, and Florida add-on superdelegates Alex Sink (FL)#*, Steve Geller (FL)#*, Dan Gelber (FL)#*. MO add-on Susan Montee, and DE add-on Rob Carver have been added to the Obama list.
4/6/08 Replaced Mary Lou Winters (Clinton) with Elsie Burkhalter as DNC member from LA. Burkhalter is being placed on the uncommitted list as of now.
4/9/08 - Added Rep. Jackie Speier (CA), new congresswoman from California.
4/27/08 - Added addon Terry Goddard (AZ)# and addon Laurie Weahkee (NM)#. Addon Kathy Sullivan(NH)# was added to the Clinton list.
4/28/08 - Removed Guam's Robert Underwood, Chair (Antonio Charfauros) and vice-chair (Cecilia Mafnas). Positions are now vacant.
5/5/08 - Previously added party chair Pilar Lujan (GU), and adding new DNC member Ben Pangelinan (GU). New Guam vice-chair Jaime Paulino previously added to Obama list.
5/10/08 - Added OH add-on William Bashein (OH)#. Added MA add-on Martha Coakley (MA)#.
5/13/08 - Added Rep. Travis Childers (MS) who won a special election run-off in a heavily Republican district.
5/17/08 - Added NV add-on Rusty McAllister (NV)#.

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Superdelegate primary dies a quick death

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Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen proposed a "superdelegate primary" today:

Here’s what our party should do: schedule a superdelegate primary. In early June, after the final primaries, the Democratic National Committee should call together our superdelegates in a public caucus.
...
It is a call for a tight, two-day business-like gathering, whose rules would be devised by the national committee, of the leaders of our party from all over America to resolve a serious problem. There would be a final opportunity for the candidates to make their arguments to these delegates, and then one transparent vote.

Well, the trial balloon burst quickly:

The idea of having a primary among superdelegates isn't gaining a lot of traction.

A spokeswoman says Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean doesn't endorse the idea.

Hyatt Regency named as official headquarters hotel for the 2008 Demcoratic Naitonal Convention

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This just in from the DNCC:

The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced its selection of the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center as the official headquarters hotel for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held August 25-28, 2008. In that capacity, the Hyatt Regency Denver will serve as the base of operations for the DNCC, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the presidential campaign.

"Outside the Pepsi Center, the Hyatt Regency Denver will serve as the primary nerve center for our Convention operations - our home away from home during an incredibly important week," said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. "Since our team's arrival in Denver, the Hyatt Regency team has been nothing but warm and welcoming, and I know they'll offer this same level of service, professionalism and hospitality to our Convention team in August. This hotel is well-known for forging strong relationships with the Denver community, and we're proud to now call them our partner too."

The hotel will be used to conduct official business and as a meeting place for Convention organizers. Its central location makes it an ideal home base, given its proximity to the Colorado Convention Center and the Pepsi Center.

"Hyatt is honored to be chosen as the headquarters hotel for the Democratic National Convention. We are excited to have the Democrats back in Denver, Colorado for the first time since 1908 and will make sure all of our guests experience the warm Rocky Mountain hospitality that our city is known for," said John Schafer, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Denver.

Today's announcement marks the latest in a series of DNCC housing assignments allocating the 17,000 rooms in some 100 hotels reserved for delegates, alternates, media and members of the Democratic family. In November, the DNCC announced the list of area hotels selected to house some 5,000 delegates during Convention week. State delegations were assigned to 27 hotels in one of three clusters - Downtown, Stapleton and the Denver Tech Center - all within 20 minutes of the Pepsi Center.

Michigan revote won't happen

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From Ben Smith at Politico:

'Do-over is dead'

The headline from MIRS, Michigan's Hotline:

Ding-Dong, Do-Over Primary Is Dead
"Time of death for the do-over Michigan primary? Call it at about 11 a.m. today."

A Lansing insider IMs to explain the latest development:

The Senate Dems just had a long caucus meeting following their long phone call with the Gang of Four [as Carl Levin and others pushing a re-vote are called], and the result is that no one moved. Votes aren't there. Thus, it will not go to a vote in the Senate. And barring some other last minute miracle that doesn't involve those four, the Governor, and Hillary traveling to Michigan, it is dead as a doornail.

UPDATE: State Senator Tupac Hunter, an Obama supporter, confirms the outcome of today's meeting.

"The caucus has expressed again today that there is concern about the proposal and a great deal of unreadiness," he said, saying that sentiment is still "overwhelming."

"We informed the four great Democrats who have worked very hard to come up with a solution," he said. "It’s one of those things where you can agree to disagree. The question then becomes, What do we do now?"

With Florida and now Michigan shooting down a possible re-vote the scenarios in our FL and MI by the numbers delegate tracker are getting smaller.

Update: The primary may be "really dead", but is it "truly most sincerely dead"?:

But oddly enough, I'm told that private conversations are continuing right now between officials at the Democratic National Committee, the Michigan Democratic party, and the Hillary and Obama campaigns over ways to salvage some kind of last minute solution.

And the Clinton campaign has found the money to pay for it:

Ed Rendell and Jon Corzine, two governors who back Hillary, write Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm with "a list of individuals who, combined, are prepared to serve as guarantors to ensure that a total of up to $12 million will be deposited in the State of Michigan Presidential Primary Administration Fund by April 17, 2008.

Convention Park Permit Mess

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Seems that several groups that applied for park permits weren't on the board for the lotteries

Denver's new system for issuing permits to occupy parks during the 2008 Democratic National Convention ran aground as it began Tuesday, delaying the process for two more days.

Several applicants for the coveted Civic Center park discovered that their names had been omitted from a pile of cards that were to be drawn from a clear, plastic lottery box. Another applicant for another park was awarded a permit for a day he hadn't requested.

Protest groups critical of the new system seized on the blunder, accusing the city of unfairness and incompetence.

"I think it's a disgrace," said Glenn Spagnuolo, an organizer with the protest group Re-create 68. "They had all this time to figure it out, and they still couldn't get it right." - Denver Post

The lottery was immediately halted. Had they continued we may have seen convention rioting before the convention even started.

Michigan revote looking less likely

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Looks like Michigan isn't going to revote either:

Senate Democrats emerged from a closed-door caucus this morning and proclaimed that a fledging idea floated by top Michigan Democrats to create a special June 3 primary election is all but dead."The votes aren't there to do it," said Sen. Buzz THOMAS (D-Detroit), the co-chair of the Barack OBAMA campaign in Michigan

Sen. Gretchen WHITMER, a supporter of Hillary CLINTON, also conceded the chances of a June 3 redo of the Democratic presidential primary were slim. She stopped short of declaring it dead, saying instead that it was "on life support" and in need of CPR.

But the Clinton campaign, realizing Michigan is critical to their efforts to catch Obama in the delegate count, is not giving up:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is adding a quick trip to Detroit to her Wednesday campaign schedule in a high-profile push for a primary contest re-vote there so Michigan’s delegates are counted in the Democratic nomination fight. “We will go and make the case for a re-vote,” said Mo Elleithee, a Clinton spokesman.

See Florida and Michigan By The Numbers to see how the delegate math plays out in the different scenarios.

McCain speech could be up against NFL opener

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We noted last month that John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on September 4th could conflict with the opening game of the NFL season. At the time the NFL schedule was not clear. And the comments on that post thought it would not be an issue:

• "The season isn't moving anywhere, nor is the game going to get canceled"
• "All of the alternatives listed are ridiculous at best."
• I don't think its a big issue..."
• Oh, Puh-leeze! Football is a money-maker for the networks. Political conventions are not.

But we wrote in that post:

This is a big problem for NBC and the NFL. NBC pays a lot of money to show NFL games. But there's no way they would take the political heat and not show McCain's speech, and its unlikely the NFL would want to take the heat either. Yes, the speech would be available on the other networks, but the football game would attract a major audience, and the GOP, would, and appropriately so, raise a big stink.

It just not politically tenable for a major network not to show the acceptance speech of one of the two major candidates.

And we now have confirmation that the NFL season is scheduled to start on September 4th, and that the NFL is aware that something needs to be done:

"We are aware of it and will be discussing it with NBC," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello (who grew up in Syosset) wrote in an e-mail.

Now Neil Best, the who writes a great sports media blog for Newsday, did call some of the options on the previous post "ludicrous". They may be, but one of those options, or something even more abnormal, will have to be done to prevent the conflict.

Interested in joining DCW?

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We're looking for a new blogger to join the team here at 2008 Democratic Convention Watch. Must have experience blogging, be a partisan Democrat, but be able to stay neutral in your posts on a certain presidential nomination contest. Must also have the ability to post during daytime hours, especially when news breaks.

You'll be quizzed on who the add-on delegates from Tennessee are, why Ken Curtis should have never left Maine, what hotel will the Michigan delegation be staying at if they are seated, when did Joe Lieberman really lose his superdelegate status, and why Mike Bloomberg didn't really want the Democratic Convention in New York. Just kidding. Sort of...

Send an email to us (email address in the right sidebar), and include a couple of links to your blog posts. (Diaries or even extensive comments at Kos or other sites are fine).

A Guide to DemConWatch

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Welcome to DemConWatch (formerly 2008 Democratic Convention Watch), the premier independent web site for all the information you need about the Transition, Inauguration and the 2010 and 2012 elections.

DemConWatch broke the news about Obama moving his speech to Invesco Field and continues to be a leader in the news your looking for regarding the Democratic Party and the elections.

Here's a guide to what's on the site:

• DemConWatch Inauguration Calendar - We're compiling the most complete schedule of events for the Inauguration available.
  
  
• Presidential Appointees Requiring Senate Confirmation
  
  
• Presidential Appointees Not Requiring Senate Confirmation
  
  
• Superdelegate Endorsement List - The first, and still best and most accurate, list of superdelegate endorsements available on the web. No endorsement is added without a verifiable reference to the superdelegate actually stating who they endorse. We don't add an endorsement based on pure media lists - we've found too many mistakes.
  
  
• No Endorse List - Who's left - which superdelegates still haven't made up their mind.
  
  
• Add-on List and Schedule - A complete list of the selected add-on superdelegates and the schedule for future selections.
  
  
• Superdelegate History Tracker - Charts and graphs of endorsements by week since mid-January.
  
  
• Superdelegates by Position - Breakdown by Governors, Senators, etc.
  
  
• Superdelegate Ups and Downs - Changes in the number of superdelegates since December.
  
  
• Ultimate Delegate Summary - where does the race for the nomination stand
  
  
• Ultimate Delegate Tracker - Pledged delegates by state and media organation, all on one page
  
  
• Florida and Michigan By The Numbers - what's the delegate count for any Florida and Michigan option
  

How to Find What You're Looking For:

There are 3 ways to find information at DCW: There's a search box at the upper left of the screen, which searches the whole blog. In the right sidebar there's a dropdown where you can search by tags. And the left sidebar contains a full archive of the posts.

Who we are:

DemConWatch is run by a group of part-time bloggers. We are all avid Democrats. This site is not affiliated with the DNC, DNCC, or any campaign.

Florida won't have a revote

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Florida wants the DNC to count their primary votes as-is and will not hold another election.

Last week, the Florida Democratic Party laid out the only existing way that we can comply with DNC Rules – a statewide revote run by the Party – and asked for input.

Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again.

So we won’t.

A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it’s simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the Party were to pay for it. Republican Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio refuses to even consider that option. Florida is finally moving to paper ballots, which is a good thing, but it means that at least 15 counties do not have the capacity to handle a major election before the June 10th DNC primary deadline.

This doesn’t mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again in April. - The Page

See where the delegate race stands at our Florida and Michigan By The Numbers post where we break down delegates using several different scenarios.

Michigan Governor Granholm proposes a June 3rd primary

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Ben Smith at Politico is reporting that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is calling for a June 3rd Primary.

"Designate June 3, 2008 as the date of a state presidential primary election in Michigan. The election would be conducted in the same manner as a regular election in Michigan, except for procedures specific to presidential primaries such as party ballot selection. "

Montana and South Dakota's primaries will also be held on June 3rd. These would be the final primaries of the season unless Florida jumps in at a later date. Update - Florida will not have a revote


You can get a better feel for how Michigan and/or Florida could change the race in our Florida and Michigan by the numbers tracker should they decide to have a revote.
One other thing to keep an eye on is the fact that Obama only trails Clinton by one delegate should Michigan and Florida's primaries stand as-is.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Denver held it's St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday. They call it the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade west of the Mississippi.

The three-hour parade kicked off at 10 a.m. with about 236 entries — bagpipers, step dancers and marching bands — with 10,000 marchers.

The parade included several local politicians. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper rode in a little white electric powered truck.

Representative Diana Degette (CO-1), a superdelegate and Clinton supporter, was also there.

Tennessee add-on superdelegates named

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We welcome to the circle of superdelegates 2 add-ons from Tennessee:

Vicky Harwell of Pulaski, who is president of the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women, and Jerry Lee of Nashville, president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council.

Here's what's interesting. There have been writers at OpenLeft and TPM who have "assigned" the add-ons to each candidate based on who won the state. But I think what happened in Tennessee today shows you can't assume that. Clinton won the primary. And the add-ons? One is leaning towards Clinton, but not quite there, and the other is clearly undecided:

Harwell said after being elected that "at this point, I'm leaning toward Sen. Clinton." Harwell said she had met Clinton personally and found her to be a "dynamic, dedicated Democratic woman."
...
Lee said he intends to "listen very closely" to both Democratic frontrunners in the coming weeks and then vote at the convention "for the one I think is most electable in November."

The national AFL-CIO has yet to endorse either candidate, though it may do so before the convention, Lee said. The national labor organization's endorsement "would influence my decision," he said.

These are the types of add-ons we would see in years when no one cared who the add-ons were: Key bigwigs in state Democratic politics. This is a primary state, and the add-ons were selected by the State Executive Committee, where, I guess, longstanding state political issues and customs probably outweigh the transient pressures of the closest Presidential nomination in decades. For states operating in this way, I don't think we can assume anything about the add-ons in advance.

Iowa County Convention Results

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It looks like Obama is coming out ahead...

Saturday county conventions being worked hard by Obama and Clinton supporters (and some Edwards folks too) as all seek support for final delegate allocation in head-numbing multi-step process.

In evening conference call, Obama camp claims they’ve won 23 of the 45 pledged delegates at stake — a net gain of 7 since caucuses in early January — while Clinton has lost 1 at 14. - The Page

More from the Iowa Democratic Party

Iowa Democratic Party Releases County Convention Results

Des Moines – Today, Democrats in 99 counties held County Conventions, the second stage of the Iowa caucus to convention process.

“Today, Iowa Democrats again turned out in large numbers to reject the failed Bush-McCain campaign and its policies,” said Scott Brennan, Iowa Democratic Party Chair. “We are committed to winning Iowa for our nominee and party building activities like the Caucus and County Conventions help strengthen our counties, precincts and neighborhoods.”

The Iowa Democratic Party also released results from the County Conventions. The following results are from 99 of 99 counties and represent 2,500 of 2,500 State Delegates. Results will be updated periodically on our website www.iowademocrats.org as they are available.

Senator Hillary Clinton: 32.08%

Senator John Edwards: 15.52%

Senator Barack Obama: 51.96% (Percentages updated 10:00 EDT)

Get county by county results.

7:00 EDT: NBC has Obama up 7 to 23, Clinton up 1 to 16, Edwards down 8 to 6.

8:20 EDT: The AP has Obama up 7 to 23, Clinton down 1 to 14, Edwards down 7 to 7, with 1 delegate to be decided.

Update: 9:50 EDT: - Some of the confusion is due to the requirement that a candidate receive 15% in a Congressional District to receive a delegate from that district. Currently, Edwards is projected to be viable in 4 of the 5 CDs, giving him 4 delegates at the CD level, plus 3 at the national level. But he's on the edge of 15% in a couple of CDs, with some counties still out. If he drops below 15%, he loses the delegate, and it goes to either Clinton or Obama, depending on how the math plays out.

Update 10:25 EDT: The experts discussing this over at Daily Kos are pretty sure that the final numbers will be 25/14/6, a net gain of 10 for Obama. Politico has confirmed.

Update 10:45 EDT: The state-wide delegates are expected to be 8/5/3. The CD Delegates are expected to be 17/9/3. Edwards only achieved 15% in 3 of the 5 CDs. If all his delegates to the CD and state conventions leave him and split 50/50, the math says the 6 delegates would also be split 50/50, with a final count of Obama 28, Clinton 17.

Note: We'll update all our trackers when the AP updates their official delegate count.

Iowa County Convention Preview

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For the latest information go to our Iowa Results post.

As we expected in our writeup yesterday on tomorrow's Iowa County Conventions, there's a lot more information available today on what might or might not happen tomorrow. The Des Moine Register:

For the first time, candidates have hired staff to whip up turnout to county conventions.

Teams of paid and volunteer workers have spent weeks contacting the 13,485 delegates elected on caucus night. In some cases, they are trying to sway those who supported former Sen. John Edwards, who quit the race Jan. 30.
...
Those 13,485 delegates will elect 2,500 delegates Saturday. Those 2,500 will elect some of the national convention delegates during Iowa's district conventions on April 26 and the rest at the state convention on June 14.

The Iowa Independent:

Tomorrow is the day of Democratic county conventions. While these take place for both Republicans and Democrats throughout the state after every Iowa caucus, most activists cannot remember a time when the results of the conventions could play such an important national role. The caucuses, while highly publicized as the first national pulse in presidential politics, are not the actual mechanism by which delegates to the Democratic National Convention are selected. The selection will take place at the upcoming conventions -- county conventions scheduled for Saturday being the first.

Individuals selected on caucus night to be delegates and alternates to county convention are being targeted once again by presidential hopefuls. Delegates receiving the most attention, however, are those who are currently aligned with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Because no delegates are beholden to their caucus night choice and also because Edwards has dropped from the race, the campaigns for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama are both focusing on Edwards delegates in an attempt to increase their own number of national delegates.

As previously reported, the grassroots campaign built in Iowa by the Obama campaign is back in action. For at least the past two weeks, the Obama team has been making contact with convention delegates and alternates to impress upon them the importance of going to their respective county conventions. This week the Clinton campaign also began making its presence known in Iowa once again. Field directors have returned to their caucus areas, local supporters have phoned Edwards delegates to request support and, just yesterday, an automated phone call by Sen. Clinton herself went out to Iowans.

Finally, the Obama campaign has a page dedicated to the County Conventions, including the time and place of every county convention, a primer and FAQ about the conventions, and a 42 page County Convention Guide.

I think the most difficult thing tomorrow will be finding results.

Update (2PM Sat): From the AP: "Party officials expected results from virtually all the counties by late afternoon. A handful of tiny rural counties were holding their conventions in the evening."

DNC Still Unsure On Issue Of Seating Florida Delegates

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On Tuesday night, Florida's nine congressmen voted to oppose a mail-in vote proposition put forth by Florida Democratic State Chairman, Karen Thurman. Thurman has urged the national and state party, as well as both Senators Clinton and Obama to consider a combined vote-by-mail/in-person plan to serve as a re-do of Florida's premature January 29th presidential primary. This is just the latest news in the ongoing struggle the DNC faces in figuring out how to get the Florida and Michigan delegates seated in August.

First, an introduction:
As this is my first contribution to this site, my friends at 2008 Democratic Convention Watch encouraged me to say hello. My name is Anthony Timperman, and amongst certain other duties, I am the publisher of Waxpolitic.blogspot.com . I will be contributing regularly here at DCW up to and after the Convention. I hope you will stop by and join in our forum at Wax Politic from time to time as well. There... hello. Back to Florida.

Thurman's plan calls for all of Florida's 4.1 million Democrats to be mailed a ballot. They could send it back or cast a ballot in one of 50 regional voting centers. The election would end June 3rd, a week before a Democratic National Committee deadline to name delegates. Price to Florida voters? $10 to 12 million to be exact. Asked how she felt about the chances of her proposal being actualized State Party Chair Thurman replied,

I have a feeling that this is probably closer to not, than yes.

So what needs to get done at the national level for Florida and Michigan to seat their delegates?

In Michigan the DNC and state party leaders who include Governor Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton supporter, are working to get on the same page. The stumbling block is how to pass legislation that would agree on spending privately raised funds for a re-do. If this happens, it looks likely that an early June vote is possible.

In Florida, it may take a more novel approach. One idea would seat Florida's existing delegates at the convention with half a vote each. Florida's superdelegates would then be given a vote in Denver. (Senator Bill Nelson is floating this idea also). A curious proposition, but one that seems to make more sense logistically for those legislators in Florida who contend that a mail-in re-do is far more involved than some would like to think. They're using Oregon, whose mail-in ballot process took years to iron out, as evidence. Talk from DNC headquarters makes obvious the fact that no one wants this dragging out until the National Convention in August.

The best option is whatever we can get the candidates to agree with, which puts a vote back in the hands of the people of Florida and Michigan. And that's going to be not so easy to do. - DNC Chairman Howard Dean

The Clinton and Obama camps have different stances but each continues to publicly assuage fears that they would interfere with the rules the DNC laid out. Senator Clinton, having won both Florida and Michigan (although she was the only major candidate on the Michigan ballot), is hopeful that these two states' delegations will swing a hotly contentious race in her favor. Obama strategists have publicly called into question the timing of Senator Clinton's heightened focus on the issue.

We'll keep on top of this in the coming days to find out how party leaders in Florida and Michigan will sort through all of the political jockeying and logistical hurdles.

Update (from Matt): The DNC is playing hardball with Florida:

Florida Democrats got a stern warning Friday from the co-chairman of a group that will determine whether the state gets a say in the presidential race: Hold a re-vote, or risk not getting seated at the party convention to pick a nominee.

"It's the responsibility of the state Democratic Party to come up with a [re-vote] proposal that complies with the rules and has the support and the planning that's needed within the state," James Roosevelt, who runs the Democratic National Committee's credentials committee, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida's Democratic leaders had floated the idea of a June 3 redo election to comply with national party rules, which the state violated with its Jan. 29 primary. But the re-vote plan was opposed by Florida's congressional delegation and faces many logistic obstacles.

The DNC's credentials committee, which has two other co-chairmen and about 200 members, most of whom are still to be named by the presidential candidates, has the power to decide whether Florida and Michigan get a say at the nominating convention. The two states were punished for moving up their primary dates in violation of national party rules.

A re-vote "seems to be moving forward in Michigan; it seems to be a little bit stalled in Florida," said Roosevelt, a former official in Bill Clinton's administration appointed to his party post by DNC Chairman Howard Dean. "If they can do it in Michigan, I don't see why they couldn't do it in Florida."

Roosevelt's comments drew a swift rebuke from Florida Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller, who said the national party is flirting with disaster by threatening to snub Florida.

"What the DNC fails to understand is that not only are they giving away the presidency, we're apparently heading toward a Democratic National Convention that is a repeat of Chicago in 1968," said Geller, D-Cooper City, referring to the most chaotic Democratic convention in modern history.

There's been some talk that the Credentials Committee would be pro-Clinton because of the Clinton ties of the three heads. I think the above makes it clear that the person pulling the strings of the Credentials Committee will be Howard Dean.

Florida and Michigan: By the numbers

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Important Note 5/2/2008:
This post will no longer be updated. A new post, with more current options, can be found here.

There are all sorts of options concerning Florida and Michigan, so we do what we do best - we run all the numbers:

The options are:

1. Do not seat Florida or Michigan.
2. Split the Florida and Michigan pledged delegations 50/50. Superdelegates are free to vote as they wish. (The list of Florida and Michigan superdelegates)
   
3. Florida and Michigan hold new elections. (3/17 - Florida has announced they will not hold a new election as did Michigan on 3/19)
   
4. Split Michigan 50/50 including supers. Give Florida pledged delegates 1/2 vote, but based on January election. 1/2 vote for superdelegates also. This is supposedly under significant discussion.
5. Seat them based on the elections that have taken place. Give Obama the 55 Michigan uncommitted delegates.
6. Seat them based on the elections that have taken place. Don't assume Obama gets the 55 Michigan uncommitted delegates.

We are not endorsing any of these options. We're just providing information so our readers can judge how each option will affect the race.

Note: Many readers have asked why we continue to include options 5 and 6 in this post, and why we include option 6 in our sidebar. It's because politics is a strange business, and you never know what might happen in the future.

Important Note 4/5:
DCW has switched from AP to the Green Papers(GP) as our primary source of "Pledged Delegates". The Green Papers has done a better and quicker job of keeping their numbers up-to-date.

FL & MI OPTIONS
Option 1: Do not seat Florida or Michigan. Current Status
Total Delegates Available: 4047			Required: 2024
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1489	1337	19	--	--	408	3253
Superdelegates (DCW)	244	265	--	285	--	--	794
Total Delegates	1733	1602	19	285	--	408	4047
Delegates Lead	131	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	291	422	--	--	--	Left	693
Option 2: With FL & MI 50/50 Split
Total Delegates Available: 4415.0			Required: 2208
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1639	1487	32	0	--	408	3566
Superdelegates (DCW)	249	280	--	320	--	--	849
Total Delegates	1888	1767	32	320	--	408	4415
Delegates Lead	121	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	320	441	--	--	--	Left	728
Option 3: FL & MI hold new elections
Total Delegates Available: 4415			Required: 2208
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1489	1337	19	--	--	721	3566
Superdelegates (DCW)	249	280	--	320	--	--	849
Total Delegates	1738	1617	19	320	--	721	4415
Delegates Lead	121	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	470	591	--	--	--	Left	1041
Option 4: With FL 1/2 Vote & MI 50/50 Split
Total Delegates Available: 4309.5			Required: 2155
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1489	1337	19	--	--	408	3253
MI 50/50 split including supers	78.5	78 .5	--	--	--	--	157
FL 1/2 Delegate Vote including supers	35.5	56.5	6.5	7	--	--	105.5
Superdelegates (DCW)	244	265	--	285	--	--	794
Total Delegates	1847.5	1737.5	25.5	292	--	408	4309.5
Delegates Lead	110	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	308	418	--	--	--	Left	700
Option 5: With FL & MI (Obama gets MI 55)
Total Delegates Available: 4415			Required: 2208
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1611	1515	32	--	--	408	3566
Superdelegates (DCW)	249	280	--	320	--	--	849
Total Delegates	1860	1795	32	320	--	408	4415
Delegates Lead	65	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	348	413	--	--	--	Left	728
Option 6: With FL & MI included - Results Upheld
Total Delegates Available: 4415			Required: 2208
	Obama	Clinton	Edwards	Others(1)	NYA(2)	YTV(3)	Total
Pledged Delegates(GP)	1556	1515	32	55	--	408	3566
Superdelegates (DCW)	249	280	--	320	--	--	849
Total Delegates	1805	1795	32	375	--	408	4415
Delegates Lead	10	--	--	--	--	--	--
Delegates needed to win Nomination	403	413	--	--	--	Left	783
Last Updated: 05/01/2008

Notes: The options and table are sorted from the highest candidate's lead to the lowest.

Others(1): Include Unknown, Uncomitted & No endorsements yet
NYA(2): Not Yet Assigned.
YTV(3): Not Yet Voted.