Florida Democrats angling over delegates

By Wes Allison, Times staff writer
In print: Friday, May 9, 2008

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With her chances of winning fading, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton sent Sen. Barack Obama a letter Thursday imploring him to ask the Democratic National Committee to make all of Florida's and Michigan's delegates count toward the presidential nomination.

Florida's congressional Democrats also sent DNC chairman Howard Dean a letter asking him to help ensure a decision is made by May 31, when the Rules and Bylaws Committee meets to hear an appeal of Florida's case. The state lost its delegates for holding its primary Jan. 29, a week earlier than party rules allowed.

Meanwhile, about the same time those letters were released, the Associated Press caused an uproar by reporting that the DNC, the Florida Democratic Party, Obama and Clinton were "on the verge" of striking a deal for seating some portion of Florida's 211 delegates.

It turned out to be wrong.

Florida Democratic Party communications director Mark Bubriski hustled to assuage startled aides to the state's Democratic members of Congress, who should have known about any deal.

In an e-mail titled "Important clarification," Bubriski wrote, "At least as far the state party knows, there is no imminent 'deal' or 'plan' to seat the Florida delegation in the works."

Wes Allison can be reached at allison@sptimes.com or (202) 463-0577.