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Florida, Michigan Limited To Half Of Delegate Totals

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The Washington Post

Published: May 29, 2008

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects of persuading Democratic officials to override party rules and recognize all delegates selected in the Florida and Michigan primaries suffered a setback Wednesday after lawyers for the party ruled that no more than half of those delegations could be legally recognized.
Democratic National Committee lawyers wrote in a memo that the two states must forfeit at least half of their delegates as punishment for holding primaries earlier than DNC rules allowed.

Clinton, D-N.Y., prevailed in both contests, although the Democratic candidates had agreed not to campaign in Florida and Michigan and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., removed his name from the Michigan ballot.

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is scheduled to meet Saturday to make a final determination on Florida and Michigan, which would have collectively awarded 368 convention delegates.

But in the memo, party lawyers determined that full restoration, as sought by Clinton, would violate DNC rules, although it did note a loophole that would allow her to carry the challenge to the first day of the Democratic National Convention in September.

Obama Ready To Compromise

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said that the senator from Illinois is prepared to forfeit a portion of his delegate lead as part of a compromise to resolve the Florida and Michigan flap. "We don't think it's fair to seat them fully," Plouffe said of the two delegations. But he added, "We're willing to give some delegates here" in order to put the matter to rest.

If the current delegate tally were to hold, Plouffe said, Obama could pull within about 10 delegates of the 2,026 needed for the nomination, assuming he wins the South Dakota and Montana primaries Tuesday as expected.

The Saturday meeting is likely to increase the threshold, possibly by several dozen delegates, but campaign officials said they are confident that uncommitted superdelegates will quickly move to endorse Obama, pushing him over the finish line as early as Wednesday morning.

Plouffe said the campaign is not stockpiling superdelegates to roll out en masse. "We announce superdelegates as they commit to us," he said. But he said mid-next week would be "a natural time" for those who have not picked sides to break.

Clinton's Supporters Keeping Faith

Clinton's best hope for late gains is at the DNC meeting Saturday. Her supporters are organizing a "Count Every Vote" rally outside the meeting site and have bombarded committee members with phone calls and Florida oranges to press their case.

Among those planning to demonstrate are at least 300 Floridians, whose trips are being arranged by the group Florida Demands Representation, or FDR, which has been circulating petitions to deliver to the DNC.

"About 200 people are coming up by bus, and another 100 by plane," said James Hannagan, founder of the Florida group.

There had been more than 700 registrants on the FDR Web site to make the trip, but most of those have not confirmed. Among those who have confirmed participation are people from the Tampa Bay area, Jacksonville, Orlando and South Florida.

"It's an opportunity to state our position to Democrats across the country," said Hannagan. That position, he said, is that 100 percent of Florida's Democratic presidential delegates should be seated at the party's national nominating convention this summer, with full voting power.

Obama's campaign sent a mass e-mail to supporters Wednesday, urging them not to descend on the event. DNC lawyers found that the Rules and Bylaws Committee acted within its rights by voiding the Florida and Michigan results, after Michigan moved its primary to Jan. 15 and Florida moved its to Jan. 29. They did so in violation of party rules that called for state parties that did not receive waivers from the DNC to schedule primaries no earlier than Feb. 5.

Tribune reporter Billy House contributed to this report.

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