'Super delegates' could hold key to Democratic nomination
WASHINGTON -- As a resident of the U.S. territory of Guam, Antonio Charfauros can't vote in the presidential election in November.
Even so, the 58-year-old retired government planner still yields enormous clout in the Democratic primary. Charfauros, chairman of Guam's Democratic Party, is one of 796 "super delegates" — a special class of delegates not bound by the primary and caucus results when they go to the party's national convention in Denver in August.
Aides to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton have called several times to seek his support — well in advance of Guam's caucuses May 3. He said he hasn't heard from Barak Obama's campaign. "It's gratifying to get all this attention," he said of Clinton.
As Clinton and Obama battle in a near-dead heat for delegates, Democratic insiders in often-overlooked corners of the country are being heavily courted by the campaigns — ranging from the Republican stronghold of Idaho to Guam, an island territory of 174,000 in the Pacific.
These super delegates — made up largely of Democratic National Committee (DNC) members and current and former elected officials — could well decide the outcome of the Democratic race if neither Clinton nor Obama captures the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the convention.
As of Monday, Clinton had 1,136 delegates to Obama's 1,108, according to the Associated Press. The tally includes super delegates who have stated a preference.
"This is one of those situations where the super delegate from a small town like Sandpoint, Idaho, may be just as important as Al Gore," said Peter Fenn, a veteran Democratic strategist.
The competition for super delegates favors Clinton, a former first lady with extensive ties to Democratic Party officials after nearly two decades in Washington. "She is able to call in some chits," said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow emeritus at the Brookings Institution.
Democrats created the super-delegate system in 1982 to give certain party officials, based on the positions they hold, a greater voice in the nominating process. In 1984, they backed eventual nominee Walter Mondale over Gary Hart by wide margins. Republicans do not have a similar system.
Both candidates have made calls to woo delegates and enlisted high-profile surrogates to help. Obama's camp includes the candidate's wife, Michelle, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of State Madeleine Albright are among those working for Clinton. Harold Ickes, who heads Clinton's super-delegate effort, said these party regulars deserve their say.
"It's not like we dropped in from Mars and are going to hijack the election," said Ickes, a DNC member and super delegate.
As always, this year's batch of super delegates is a high-powered group — including Democratic governors, members of Congress and former presidents. It also includes lesser-known DNC members, such as Awais Khaleel, a 23-year-old college student who hails from Kenosha, Wis.
Khaleel, vice president of 75,000-member College Democrats, is being wooed by the Obama and Clinton camps on a regular basis. "I don't think anyone who is 23 years old expected to be in this position," he said.
Super delegates said their newfound clout gives them a rare chance to advocate pet causes.
One super delegate, Jeanne Buell, a retiree from Worley, Idaho, said she backed Obama because he campaigned in the state. "I was tired of people flying over the state and not stopping," she said. "I promised my support to the candidate, a serious candidate, who would come to Idaho."