All Blog Posts from Horserace

UPDATED Barack Obama has sent a letter to the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention’s Credentials Committee urging them to pass a resolution allowing the Democratic delegations from Florida and Michigan to be fully represented at the Democratic National Convention.

The states were stripped of their delegates as punishment for moving their primaries before February 5th in violation of Democratic National Committee rules. They were awarded half-votes at a May meeting.

The Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns sparred during the primaries over how the delegates from the two states would be allocated, with the debate centering on whether the allocation would be based on the popular vote or some other measure. Clinton won both states, though Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan, complicating efforts to award delegates.

As Clinton looked to keep her campaign alive towards the end of the primary process, she called on the DNC to fully seat the delegations from the two states. The Obama campaign, which would have been hurt in its battle for the nomination had the delegations been fully seated at that point, did not join Clinton's call.

A Democratic source told CBS News today that Obama walked a "fine line" during the primary by deferring to the DNC while Clinton was using the question of full representation issue as a rallying point.

"...I believe Party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories," Obama wrote in the letter. "Accordingly, I ask that the Credentials Committee, when it meets on August 24 to approve the delegates for the National Convention, pass a resolution that would entitle each delegate from Florida and Michigan to cast a full vote."

He continued:

"As a candidate for the nomination, I supported the DNC’s efforts to establish and enforce a schedule for primaries and caucuses that would broaden the opportunity for Democrats from all regions of the country and all backgrounds and walks of life to have a meaningful voice....As we prepare to come together in Denver, however, we must be – and will be – united in our determination to change the course of our nation. To that end, Democrats in Florida and Michigan must know that they are full partners and colleagues in our historic mission to reshape Washington and lead our country in a new direction."

The DNC released a statement in response to the letter.

"Today we received a letter from Senator Obama requesting that the Convention's Credentials Committee grant each delegate from Florida and Michigan a full vote. We deeply appreciate and value Senator Obama's perspective on this important issue. This matter will be the top priority for the Credentials Committee when we meet on August 24th. As always our goal is to ensure a fair process and a unified Democratic Party so that we can win in November."

Read full post…

The Democratic National Committee's decision to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates to the party's national convention also chipped into the support held by the Democrats' top presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, by depriving her of so-called superdelegates, a CBS News survey finds.

Superdelegates are elected officials and party leaders who are free to side with any presidential candidate they choose, right up until the nominee is officially picked at next summer's convention in Denver. But Florida and Michigan, at least at the moment, don't have any because both states decided to hold primaries in January, in violation of DNC rules.

Superdelegates tend to reflect the sentiments of the party's establishment, so it's little surprise that Clinton suffers the most from that decision – a CBS News estimate shows that the number of superdelegates backing the New York senator has dropped from 184 in a November survey to 171 now.

Clinton bore the brunt of the decision, but others were hit, too. Barack Obama lost 4 superdelegates to fall to 67. John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich lost 1 superdelegate each.

The actual impact of this move on the race for the Democratic nomination is likely to be small. Superdelegates are quick to rally around a party's front-runner, basing their decisions on the results of the upcoming primaries and caucuses. And the eventual nominee is likely to persuade the DNC that Florida's and Michigan's delegates get seated at the convention, anyway. But in the unlikely event of a brokered convention, these relatively minor changes could end up playing a role.