With the Democratic presidential nomination still (theoretically) undecided,
Damon Hodge explores the role a select group of Nevadans could play in the outcome
Name: Harry Reid
Position: Capitol Hill senator
Political cred: Four-term senator; current Senate Majority Leader
Name: Shelley Berkley
Position: Congresswoman
Political cred: Running for fifth term
Name: Dina Titus
Position: State senator
Political cred: State senator since 1989; Democratic National Committee member
Name: Steven Horsford
Position: State senator
Political cred: Two-term senator; Democratic National Committee member
Name: Catherine Cortez Masto
Position: State Attorney General
Political cred: Head of the Democratic Attorneys General Association
Name: Yvonne Atkinson Gates
Position: Former Clark County Commissioner
Political cred: At-large DNC member; DNC chair Howard Dean appointee
Name: Sam Lieberman
Position: State Democratic Party chairman
Political cred: Leader of Nevada Democrats
Name: Teresa Benitez Thompson
Position: State Democratic Party first vice chairwoman
Political cred: Second in command of Nevada Democrats
So, what is a superdelegate?
Per a Democratic National Committee flak: “They are a diverse group of individuals including local grassroots activists, county party chairs, local elected officials and others. They are not some elite group of party bosses.
“They include all members of the DNC, all Democratic members of Congress and all Democratic governors and a few former party leaders. Democratic members of Congress and governors have been elected by the people of their states and districts.”
Sounds like an elite group of party bosses to us.
Why haven’t we heard anything about Republican superdelegates?
Four reasons. First: They’re called unpledged delegates, not superdelegates. Second: There are fewer of them—400 compared to the Democrats’ 796, so they’re less powerful than their Donkey Party counterparts. Third: They generally come into play only if the race for the final nomination is close. Fourth: Arizona Senator John McCain wrapped up the party’s nomination some time ago.
Who made Democratic superdelegates so important?
Democrats, that’s who. They were created during the party’s reform of its nomination process in the 1980s. “After the election of 1968, the McGovern-Fraser Commission of the DNC required delegates to the national convention to be chosen openly by party members as opposed to secretly by party leaders,” according to politickernv.com. “To comply with the commission’s reforms, most states switched from nominating caucuses to primaries to select their delegates. These changes left an impression among many party leaders that their own authority to select their nominees had been too greatly diminished. Thus, after the 1980 election, Democratic members of congress, current and former Democratic presidents, Democratic governors and members of the DNC were each given a vote in all following national conventions.”
I want to become a superdelegate. Tell me how.
Too late if you’re on the GOP side. There are six ways, according to Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. (1) Get elected to Congress (representatives automatically qualify). (2) Become a member of the Democratic National Committee—your best shot might be as head of the Nevada Democratic Party. (3) Kiss up to the DNC chairman, who appoints 75 members—they are then ratified by the DNC. (4) Run for, and win, the governorship. (5) Get tapped as vice president of the United States or finagle the DNC chairmanship. (6) Lastly, you can be selected as an add-on or at-large delegate. Nevada has one at-large delegate: Yvonne Atkinson Gates. The number of at-large delegates varies from state to state. Some party leaders select the speaker of the legislature.
How many delegates will be at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver?
There are presently 4,049 votes, which will be cast by 4,070 delegates. The difference is that certain delegates from American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and an organization called Democrats Abroad (which has 11 votes at the convention) cast fractional delegate votes.
How many delegates are needed to secure the Democratic nomination?
Presently, 2,025, though not included in this number are the 366 votes from Florida and Michigan, which forfeited their delegates by moving their primaries up to January, against party rules.
So whom do our superdelegates support and why?
Benitez-Thompson supports Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Benitez-Thompson endorsed Obama before she became a superdelegate in January. When former state Democratic chair Jill Derby resigned to run for office, Benitez-Thompson, then the state party’s second vice chair, was elevated to the first vice chair’s post and into superdelegate status. “After careful thought, it is my honor today to endorse Sen. Barack Obama, who, day by day and state by state, is challenging politics as usual and engaging so many new, diverse, Democratic voters. These new voters will propel Sen. Obama to victory in November and help elect great Democrats at the state and local level.”
Berkley supports New York Senator Hillary Clinton. “When I first met Hillary years ago, I was struck by the depth of her caring and knowledge of the concerns of my fellow Nevadans. And I have always been impressed that she is ready, able and willing to take action. Her record against Yucca Mountain is 100 percent on the side of Nevada. I know firsthand her tenacious advocacy for family health care, veteran’s services, education and affordable housing—and have no doubt Hillary Clinton has the strength, knowledge, courage and vision to be a president who will lead by action to solve our great challenges at home and abroad.”
Horsford is on Obama’s team. “After 45 contests, Sen. Obama has won more delegates, twice as many states and territories and more of the popular vote. He’s won in every part of the country, and has scored victories among every segment of electorate. He’s inspired Democrats, Independents and Republicans, building an unprecedented coalition of more than 1.4 million contributors. And when it comes to head-to-head match-ups versus John McCain, Obama performs better than Clinton in key states and shows the potential to put new states in play for Democrats up and down the ballot.”
Titus reps for Camp Clinton. “I am so pleased to endorse Hillary Clinton, and excited to play a strategic role in the national campaign. The American people are clearly ready for change, and an outstanding field of Democratic candidates has stepped up to get this country back on track. But of all these great candidates, Hillary Clinton is distinguished by her depth of experience and her vision for our nation. She is ready to lead, and I am thrilled to support her.” Titus co-chairs Clinton’s “Women of the West” campaign.
That’s only four. What’s up with the rest?
Atkinson Gates: Via a surrogate, the former County Commissioner says she is uncommitted and will remain so until after the DNC Rules Committee meets on May 31 and rules on the fate Florida and Michigan delegates. [Gates is a member of the rules committee and will be traveling to Washington at the end of the month.] “I am uncommitted because as a member of the rules committee I must remain neutral until after the decisions are made about Florida and Michigan. I don’t want anyone to question my decision.”
Cortez Masto: The AG’s political director Erin Bilbray-Kohn says that Cortez Masto will remain neutral at least through this weekend’s state Democratic Party convention in Reno. “The votes of Nevadans at the state convention will weigh upon her decision, but I can’t say she will make a decision after the convention. She thinks we have two great candidates, and that this is such a great thing because so many people are now getting involved in the process.”
Lieberman: The state party chairman didn’t return a call or an e-mail seeking comment. Benitez-Thompson says Lieberman is busy working on the upcoming state Democratic Party convention in Reno, which starts Saturday. “We’ve been swamped, and I know he’s been extremely busy, so that’s the reason why calls haven’t been returned.” In April, Lieberman gave Review-Journal political columnist Erin Neff a two-sentence explanation for his neutrality: “I hope to be able to fully back someone by the time of the convention. Other than that, I have nothing to say about it.”
Reid: His office released this boilerplate to the Weekly: “The excitement we are seeing around the presidential election is unlike anything we’ve seen. Nearly 118,000 people turned out for the Nevada caucuses, a record in our state’s history. And we’re seeing that record turnout repeated in states across the country. It is all too clear that the people of Nevada and the nation are hungry for change. While the race is tight between Obama and Clinton right now, I am hopeful that a nominee will be selected prior to our national convention.”
What are the uncommitteds afraid of?
“There are lots of different strategies [for not choosing sides],” says UNLV political science professor David Damore. “Some might be holding out for a deal: ‘If you get elected, I’d like an appointment.’ Other folks don’t want to make the decision, they want voters to. Others are concerned that their preferences aren’t aligned to public vote—‘Hillary won Nevada, but I voted for Obama. Will there be repercussions?’ Elected officials might have to worry about losing offices. A lot of these people aren’t elected officials, so they don’t have those concerns or pressures. Some party officials have to semi-officially stay out of this until after the primaries, and they’re all too happy to do so.”
What happens if they don’t vote?
Says Damore: “There’s no scenario in which they are forced to vote, at least not before the national convention, although the DNC wants this wrapped up by the end of June. There’s increasing pressure from national party leaders for the uncommitted superdelegates to choose. If the nomination isn’t secured going into the convention, there will be a tremendous amount of pressure to make a decision one way or another.”
Why won’t they just pick someone already?
“For Reid to declare for one of the candidates would be dumb,” says Reno-based writer Joseph Cooper, who covers politics for politickernv.com. “Why would he want to do that and face potential political retribution on the Senate floor when there’s a vote that he needs? They are not necessarily afraid of the future. They’re politicians; they are mindful of the future.”
What will happen if a superdelegate votes contrary to his/her constituents’ wishes?
Says Cooper: “Going against the grain of their constituents is their prerogative and purpose. The purpose of superdelegates was for party leaders to have a say in selecting the nominee. Whereas certain candidates can come along and ride a wave of popular support to the nomination, it’s the superdelegates that have to run on the same ticket with that individual. They provide a balance against a popular wave for someone who may be unelectable. There have been some endorsements that have gone against the overwhelming votes in a superdelegates’ district. Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was booed by her constituents for supporting Clinton, because her constituents supported Obama. I don’t think that it’s a risk for them to go against the will of their constituents. With the exception of the members of the DNC, they don’t have to worry about facing an electorate. Members of Congress and governors—the worst they can be do is set themselves up for lukewarm support in an upcoming primary. Incumbent governors and congress members are notoriously safe.”
With time running down, do superdelegate votes really matter?
The only vote that matters is the one that takes place at the convention, Damore says. “The worst thing they’re doing by not endorsing is prolonging the campaign. But this prolonged campaign has helped with creating new voters and getting Republicans and Independents to switch parties. They may be doing their party one of the greatest services they can. Nevada received tens of thousands of newly registered Democrats.”
Can top superdelegates really sway others?
“Top superdelegates offer cover for lower-level ones,” Damore says. “I can’t imagine the electoral punishment would be too great. The bigger concern is, should be: Obama has the most delegates. If he loses the nomination, that could alienate his supporters, and they might not show up in the November general election.”
Do the presidential candidates have a say in who becomes their delegate?
What is the presidential candidate right of review?
Yes, per DNC rules. They can review the list of individuals who have filed to run for delegates pledged to them. “During candidate right of review, presidential candidates may approve a specific number of delegate candidates in order to ensure they are bona fide supporters,” rules state. “These approved delegate candidates must still be elected by the states.”
Switching gears—what happens if a superdelegate gets in legal trouble?
Not wishing anything bad on her, but Metro is investigating former County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates’ paying her son hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist with her 2004 re-election. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a Michigan superdelegate, has refused to step down after being charged in March with obstruction of justice and willful misconduct in office; he was hit with 12 counts of perjury and conspiracy in a text-messaging scandal with former aide Christine Beatty. An anonymity-requesting DNC official points to former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s federal prostitution charges as an example of what could happen: “Spitzer’s vote went to the lieutenant governor. Just because someone is indicted doesn’t mean they have to step down. An indictment doesn’t mean they will be found guilty of any wrongdoing. They can still keep their vote. If they step down, they will lose their vote. In the Spitzer situation, Lt. Gov. David Paterson was already an unpledged delegate because he was an at-large member of the DNC. When Spitzer stepped down, Paterson assumed the governor’s vote. But since he already had a vote, no one will assume his vote, so there is one less pledged delegate.”
Do superdelegates’ votes count toward the total needed to secure the nomination? Can they change their minds on an endorsement?
Says a DNC publicist: “In past nominating cycles, superdelegates have endorsed a specific presidential candidate. Regardless of such endorsement, superdelegates are able to cast their vote for any presidential candidate at the convention.”
After all this controversy, will the DNC switch the format to siphon superdelegates’ power?
Damore: “Nobody is in charge of the primary process. It’s shared between secretaries of state, state legislatures, etc. The DNC initiated reform in the ’60s and ’80s. There’s almost a need to formalize the process through federal legislation because the election landscape continually changes; states are trying to leapfrog other states to have first-in-the-nation primaries, and thus you get a situation like the current imbroglio about Florida and Michigan. DNC chair Howard Dean is nowhere close to the most powerful man in the party and doesn’t have the power to reform the process. Traditionally Labor Day was considered the kick-off of the campaign season. Now things occur much sooner. We’re in May and voters are sick of it already.”
Damon Hodge is a Weekly staff writer.
More from the Weekly archives:
-Politics: Why caucuses suck
(1/20/2008)
-[Politics] Three questions with Bernie Zadrowski
(2/21/2008)
-How Bill Richardson lost Nevada
(8/16/2007)