Democrats Hunt for Superdelegates

01 June 2007 |permalink | email article

Eight months before voters begin choosing delegates in the presidential primary process, the Democratic candidates have begun courting highly prized superdelegates either personally or through colleagues.

Only a tiny fraction of the party’s top echelon of elected officials, who comprise about 14% of the 2,182 delegates a candidate will need to win the nomination at the national convention next summer in Denver, have so far made endorsements.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, followed by John Edwards, have put together the most sophisticated operations so far to woo the uncommitted.

Clinton is the most aggressive, with 37 commitments; Obama has 23 and Edwards 15. Chris Dodd leads the second tier with 8, trailed by 4 for Bill Richardson, and 1 for Joe Biden.

A largest number of early commitments so far are coming from governors and members of Congress who represent districts regionally close to the candidates, especially in the case of Clinton in New York and New Jersey, and Obama in Illinois.

California has the largest number of convention delegates but only a small number of the superdelegates have so far committed:  Rep. Doris Matsui (Clinton), and Reps. Xavier Becerra, Anna Eshoo and Sam Farr (Dodd).

In a sense this Kabuki dance is a mirage because none of the superdelegates are legally bound to the candidates and can switch their loyalties depending on the dynamics of the primary process.

Not to worry. All the supers will support the eventual nominee.

360