The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Archives => Politics => Election 2008 => Topic started by: franksolich on May 05, 2008, 06:19:19 PM
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080505/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_delegates
Wow.
I didn't know that.
No wonder Nebraska Democrats now think that holding caucuses in February, rather than waiting for the regular Nebraska primary on May 13, was the stupidest idea since the invention of leisure suits.
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WASHINGTON - Good things such as Democratic delegates come to those who wait.
North Carolina, which holds its primary Tuesday, got an additional 24 delegates for moving its presidential nominating contest from April to May. Indiana, which also has its primary Tuesday, got six extra delegates for keeping its primary in May. North Carolina has 115 pledged delegates at stake, Indiana has 72.
If only Florida and Michigan had the same foresight.
"In retrospect it was the right decision to make," North Carolina Democratic Chairman Jerry Meek said Monday of the choice made months ago. But, he added, "I don't think anybody anticipated the presidential primary would be competitive."
With Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama locked in a historic battle for the Democratic nomination, the late-voting states are being rewarded with competitive races and extra delegates.
The extra delegates were part of the Democratic Party's efforts to control the nominating calendar, which got a bit chaotic with states moving contests earlier in an attempt to increase their influence.
Michigan and Florida were stripped of all their delegates for violating party rules by holding primaries before Feb. 5 — a decision the Democratic National Committee's rules panel will revisit at the end of the month.
Pennsylvania, which voted two weeks ago, got seven extra delegates for holding a late contest. Kentucky, Oregon and Puerto Rico, which all have contests in the next month, each got four extra delegates. Even Guam, which voted over the weekend, got one.
On Tuesday, North Carolina and Indiana will award delegates proportionally, based on the statewide vote as well as the vote in individual congressional districts.
Obama leads in the overall race for delegates with 1,745.5, including endorsements from party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton has 1,608, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press.
The breakdown:
Pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses: Obama, 1,490.5; Clinton, 1,338.5.
Superdelegates: Obama, 255; Clinton, 269.5.
The number of superdelegates increased to 796 Saturday when Democrat Don Cazayoux of Louisiana was elected to fill the seat in the House vacated by the resignation of Republican Rep. Richard Baker.
That increases the overall number of Democratic delegates to 4,049. The number needed to secure the nomination remains at 2,025.
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first I have heard of this; does this increase the total number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, or is this a desperate move by howard dean, who is trying to find a way for the states to let him and the superdelegates off the hook?
on edit: I should have read the whole thing.
That increases the overall number of Democratic delegates to 4,049. The number needed to secure the nomination remains at 2,025.
it is the latter; this is all free delegates that will count toward the same total for nomination.
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The democratc party becomes less so all the time.
What cracks me up is how Michigan and Florida played chicken with dean & co. and may win. If that happens, EVERYONE is going to move their primary up in 2012 and thumb their noses at any stupid "rules."