Local Pressure Builds On Superdelegates

"The electoral participation is amazing," Henderson said. "And to have elected officials moving in a direction that isn't consistent with their constituents is disconcerting."

As both Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, separated by fewer than 100 delegates, begin to lobby superdelegates for their support, Henderson, and many other Colorado Democrats, are intensely focused on one superdelagate in particular: Rep. Diana DeGette.

"She's endorsed Hillary Clinton and her state went overwhelmingly for Barack Obama," said David Sirota, a Denver-based columnist and author. "I think that puts her, and people like her, in a very difficult position."

Sirota's forthcoming book, "The Uprising", includes a chapter about the superdelegate process, which he calls "undemocratic."

"We have 40 percent of the delegates needed to win the nomination who are unaccountable to voters," Sirota said. "If the super delegates end up deciding the race, I think one side will feel -- correctly -- that the race was stolen from them."

If the race remains close, Denver could host a rare brokered convention, a scenario in which the winner of the pledged delegates who represent the popular vote could actually lose to the candidate who wins the most superdelegates.

Superdelegates are not legally bound to support any candidate. But, politically, many of the superdelegates who are also elected officials, could face ramifications for failing to fall in line with their constituents.

"I've supported DeGette for a long time and I'd like to be able to continue to support her," Henderson said. "But this is a make or break situation. She has a lot of power as a super delegate to silence the voices of the people who came out, who got babysitters, did everything we could to make our voices heard and it doesn't feel right that she override that."

Sirota believes that DeGette and other superdelegates, given a situation when their votes could decide the nomination, should stay true to their constituents.

"The question is who are you more loyal to?" Sirota said. "Are you more loyal to another politician? Or are you more loyal to the democratic spirit?"

Come August, other Colorado still-uncommitted superdelegates could have to make a tough choice.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a pledged Obama superdelegate, will likely face little scrutiny for his vote after Obama won 67 percent of the Colorado vote in Tuesday's caucus.

But, uncommitted superdelegates like Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. Mark Udall could be forced to pick sides.

Udall, who is running for the U.S. Senate and will be on November's ballot, could risk alienating at least a chunk of his electorate.

"I think will have a lot of ramifications for the individual superdelegates," Sirota said. "Most would probably rather not have to make a choice."

cross posted from credo action 

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