Do-Over Democrat Primary Elections in Michigan and Florida?
*****Update*****
There is increasing pressure to have a Do-Over election in Florida and Michigan.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters at her Ohio primary election night rally in Columbus, Ohio March 4, 2008.
The Democrat Party has a problem with Michigan and Florida – they disallowed their early primary elections because of a violation of party rules when they moved up their primary elections. Now, they have Hillary and Obama in a dead heat who both need delegates from these states in order to win the party nomination.
So, will the Democrat Parties in Michigan and Florida reschedule (redo) primary elections so their votes will count?
The governors of both states, along with top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign, are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That’s a change from their previous insistence that the primaries their states held in January should determine how the states’ delegates are allocated.
Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules. Neither Clinton nor her rival Barack Obama campaigned in either state, and Obama’s name wasn’t even on the Michigan ballot.
The Democratic National Committee stripped both states of all their delegates for holding the primaries too early, and all Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in either state.
Florida and Michigan moved up their dates to protest the party’s decision to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first, followed by South Carolina and Nevada, giving them a disproportionate influence on the presidential selection process.
This might be a satisfactory compromise but Flap doubts it will happen. Hillary will fight to keep the vote as it is where she wins and then work the super delegates to put her over the top. Obama will argue that both states are disqualified and all delegates should not be seated at the convention as per DNC rules.
Either a redo vote or a complete disqualification/disenfranchisement of Michigan and Florida voters work to the GOP’s advantage. Can you imagine a June primary election in Florida with both candidates burning through $ millions in a media campaign – negative ads and all?
Or, can you imagine a Democrat Convention which refuses to seat elected delegates from Michigan and Florida and disenfranchises their voters? Then, the convention will be “BROKERED” with Hillary using her husband’s party clout to steal the nomination from Obama.
Karl Rove could not have written a better script.
Advantage – GOP.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama speaks to supporters at his Ohio and Texas primary election night rally in San Antonio, Texas, March 4, 2008.
14 Comments
Ian Furst
You’re primary’s getting interesting now Flap. North of the border our primary is done in a big convention centre over the course of a day. With each vote the bottom candidate get’s knocked out and there delegates move camps and they re-vote. All over in a day of high drama. Not that i don’t love watching Wolf Blitzer. Ian.
Bob Jesse
…I is on the NEWS, that a Do-Over of the Primary in Florida would cost 18 Million Dollars…Now, to be real democratic, the two Candidates should pay for it…instead of spending it for the Ads and so on…I guess the ONE that comes up with this offer, will benefit among the Voters…
Nancy, 30 Year FL Resident
Why were the candidates allowed to give away our votes?? Why weren’t we asked, after all the vote does belong to us & now we find out it doesn’t count. Why bother voting at all then? Why did they move up the primary? It didn’t have a noticeable effect on us & they didn’t campaign here but we all have access to the race by way of TV, internet, newspaper, etc. Makes me want to make sure my vote counts, by voting where it counts. I vote by absentee ballot because 1) it’s easy & 2) I can. Beats trying to crowd into a building & wait in line. I don’t know why they don’t streamline this whole process & look at some of these wacky rules of yesteryear…
Sidney Saddler
This should be the question of the day. Is Senator Clinton showing presidential integrity? She agreed to the DNC rules to eliminate FL. & MI. And now trying to get these delegates seated at the convention, in violation of this agreement. Where is the fairness? Where is the integrity? And she want’s to be president? I don’t think so!
Sidney
This should be the question of the day. Is Senator Clinton showing presidential integrity? She agreed to the DNC rules to eliminate FL. & MI., And now trying to get these delegates seated at the convention, in violation of this agreement. Where is the fairness? Where is the integrity? And she want’s to be president? I don’t think so!
Flap
There has to be a re-do election or no election results should be counted.
And, the Democrat Party will have to pay one way or another.
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Ken Bingham
Howard Dean may want a re-vote but he wants the State of Florida to pay for the fiasco he helped create? Governor Crist has said the State will not pay for a primary re-do. Dean says the DNC cannot afford it, but why should Florida taxpayers pay the bill for the Democrat Party’s mistake? If they want a re-vote then the money should come from either the Florida Democrat party or the DNC itself.
Flap
Agreed!
My most recent post on the re-do election is here.
RPC
It is not going to matter. Even though Obama will have more pledged delegates, more state victories, and more popular votes, Clinton and her superdelegate are going to secure the nomination. Deal with it, Obama. Go Hillary!
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