Will Democrats' Battle End in Brokered Convention?

March 9, 2008 — -- Democrats are increasingly concerned that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton will finish the primary season with enough delegates to become the nominee. So, today, Democrats publicly pondered a nightmare scenario — a brokered convention.

After a year of break-neck campaigning, the Democratic race for president is essentially a stalemate.

Following contests in 41 states, Obama leads Clinton by just 110 delegates. And the two also are neck-and-neck nationally in the total popular vote this primary season.

Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean said today he's willing to step in to avoid a brokered convention in Denver on Aug. 25-28 that could hurt the party's chances in November.

"If we have to sit the two candidates down together, or their campaigns down together, and try to figure out how to make peace and have a convention that's going to work, then that's fine," Dean said on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." "That is my job, and we'll be happy to do it."

Asked if he would not allow the nomination to be decided on the convention floor in Denver this August, Dean added, "Well, you can't not let it go to the floor. That's going to depend on what the candidates want to do."

Dean said it's still too soon for that meeting, with more state primaries to come. But it's increasingly likely that the Democratic nomination will be decided by the party leaders who make up the 796 superdelegates — either at the convention or before.

"It's bound to weaken the nominee," said Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia. "There will be at least one or several explosions in the convention, and that divisiveness will have an impact in November."

To pressure superdelegates to decide before the August convention, party heavyweights are going to have to twist some arms, including such Democratic godfathers — and godmothers — as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, former President Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Al Gore.