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Who Will Alabama’s Superdelegates Choose?

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Who Will Alabama’s Superdelegates Choose?

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By , Media General News Service

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Who Will Alabama’s Superdelegates Choose?

Published: Mon, May 19, 2008 - 6:42 pm
Last Updated: Monday, May 19, 2008 - 6:44 pm

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama?

If you ask Joe Turnham, you're not going to get an answer. The chair of the Alabama Democratic Party is waiting until the primaries end June 3 before he makes his decision known.

Turnham is one of 796 Democratic superdelegates -local activists, congressmen, former presidents and others whose votes will determine which candidate gets the right to face Republican John McCain this fall.

In Alabama, one superdelegate is supporting Obama and three are supporting Clinton.

As the primary drags on, Turnham and the two other Alabama superdelegates that remain publicly uncommitted face increasing pressure to reveal their preferences and bring the long, divisive contest to a swift end.

Turnham, though, isn't telling.

"I think people like me are going to stay put for a little while and make sure there's a plan to unify the party," he said.

When the primaries wrap up next month, neither candidate will have secured enough pledged delegates in those contests to win the nomination. Nearly one in five of the 4,049 delegates who will vote at the party's convention in August will be superdelegates. A candidate needs 2,025 delegates to win.

Obama's big win in North Carolina this month broadened his lead over Clinton in pledged delegates. It also convinced some uncommitted superdelegates that Clinton had all but lost the race.

Many more have since come out for Obama than for Clinton. Over the last two weeks, he erased her advantage in superdelegates and now leads 301.5-271, according to a tabulation by the New York Times.

"I think most people wanted to see who was going to take a lead and who was going to be persistent," said Jane Kidd, the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, explaining the surge.

Kidd came out in support of Obama because she thought his candidacy would benefit other Democrats running for office across the state. Obama won Georgia's February primary.

Some superdelegates are basing their decisions on which candidate could boost the chances of other Democrats in the November elections, Kidd and others said.

"An Obama candidacy will be a factor," she said.

Though Clinton faces long odds to win the nomination now, superdelegates backing the New York senator still see her with the best chance to take back the White House.

And as long as Clinton is in it, the Rev. Randy B. Kelley will stick with her. Clinton, he said, is more knowledgeable and can compete better in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania in the fall.

"I'm solid in my support," said Kelley, a superdelegate from Gadsden, Ala. "Senator Clinton is a fighter and we need a fighter in the White House."

Alabama Superdelegates (7)
For Obama: (1)
- U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Birmingham.

For Clinton (3)
- Rev. Randy B. Kelley of Gadsden. Pastor of two United Methodist churches. Alabama DNC member.
- State Rep. Yvonne Kennedy of Mobile. Retired community college president. Alabama DNC member.
- Joe L. Reed of Montgomery. Chair of the Alabama Democratic Conference and Alabama DNC member.

Uncommitted: (3)
- U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer of Huntsville.
- Joe Turnham of Auburn. Business consultant. Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party.
- Nancy Worley of New Hope. Former Alabama Secretary of State. Vice chair of the Alabama Democratic Party.

Source: Alabama Democratic Party

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I gotta get me some of them smiley faces,I love’em!

Posted by carl on 05/21/08 - 8:56 am • Report Abuse

I think the point I’m trying to get across is there shouldn’t be any such things as superdelegates or anything like them,Your vote should count,one person ,one vote. who ever gets the most votes should win and not be decided by someone on a EGO trip who probably doesn’t know or care about how the voters feel. I vote but I feel my right to vote and my vote are completely useless at this point. Just consider this my very humble opinion of the present state of voting and the need for some major changes in our voting system. Sounds like I belong back in the 60’s doesn’t it,when we use to chant"POWER TO THE PEOPLE”. GOOD MORNING EVERY ONE! and have a good day!

Posted by carl on 05/21/08 - 8:54 am • Report Abuse

My mother taught me, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Here is my comment, “ “

Posted by Crystal Teeny on 05/21/08 - 8:52 am • Report Abuse

Clinton or Obama? MCcain? All I can say is that Clinton and Obama are the worst candidates ever put up by the Democratic party in modern history. The Republican party is not too far off by just offering up MCCain. But any voter that has one half of a brain should know Clinton or Obama will bring this country so far down you will wish you never ever heard of a Democrat. The worthless Demo led Congress has already proven how to totally mess up, what was two years ago, a prosperious economy. So I can care less about so called Superdelegates on the Democratic playing field. Look who these Superdelegates are in the State of Alabama. Yes, the absolute bottom of the barrell when it comes to successful politicians.

Posted by working4u on 05/21/08 - 8:09 am • Report Abuse

Hillary is really kickin’ some butt in Kentucky. I don’t remember any election process like this one.

Posted by BamaBob on 05/20/08 - 7:29 pm • Report Abuse

People let’s not forget the Electoral college after super-delegates and other things have been settled.The electoral college can vote any way they want if the state they serve does not have any laws to prohibit it,and few do. Here’s the real kicker, Russia has a more democratic election system than our’s. Every who gets the most votes in Russia wins it! in our system Delegates and super-delegates decide which two candidates will be in the running for the office and then the electoral college will decide who gets it. The delegates,superdelegates and the electoral college can disregard how the people voted and elect who ever they want unless a state has laws requiring them to vote as the voters voted. Our system effectively kills the one man one vote belief.

Posted by carl on 05/20/08 - 7:18 pm • Report Abuse

Let me just say how proud I am (boat loads of sarcasm) that the noble Yvonne Kennedy has some say as a super delegate. Why not just let David Thomas throw in for the fun of it? He’s just as qualified.

Posted by Opinionwriter on 05/20/08 - 4:36 pm • Report Abuse

Bamabob, thank you for bringing this to my attn. I didnt realize that the Dom. party was the only party that does it this way. Bamabob: Always there to enlighten us “lay folk”. LOL.

Posted by mremann83 on 05/20/08 - 10:52 am • Report Abuse

Republicans do not have superdelegates and they also have winner take all primaries. That is why their presumptive nominee has been known for months and months.

I agree that the superdelegate concept just tossed another monkey wrench into the electoral process and that alone would be enough to make me vote republican, if I weren’t already a Republican.

Posted by BamaBob on 05/20/08 - 9:36 am • Report Abuse

Having super-delegates is another way of saying “The American People are too ignorant to choose a president, so lets completely stamp out what this country was founded on, and allow a select few people who we choose to be more important than you, to elect the Democratic and Republican Primary”

Posted by mremann83 on 05/20/08 - 9:30 am • Report Abuse