It's been decades since they've been on the radar of the public or the media, but, this year, political power brokers called superdelegates have become a magnet for attention in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
And, in Arizona, the state's superdelegates definitely realize their importance, six months before they get to cast a vote.
For example, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Tucsonan and a superdelegate, has received personal calls from both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton called her last Sunday, and surrogates have made regular visits to her D.C. office.
Nationally, the superdelegate numbers may seem relatively small — 795 of the more than 4,000 delegates up for grabs in the Democratic contest. But insiders and experts are predicting their influence could be key to who becomes the nominee: Clinton, the New York senator, or Obama, the Illinois senator.
People are also reading…
Even though a majority of primary voters in Arizona preferred Clinton to Obama, the state's 11 superdelegates can go their own ways. They have become a precious resource, with the total number of regular delegates closely divided between the candidates — Clinton gets 31 from Arizona and Obama gets 25 under the final count, released Friday, from the state's Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primary. (See story, Page B10.)
For the superdelegates, who are key elected officials and party leaders, it means dealing with a barrage of lobbying from campaigns and candidates.
"It does show the high level of interest in this presidential contest and the high stakes," said Giffords' spokesman, C.J. Karamargin. "She's not going to let all the attention go to her head. She's acutely aware with this role comes a tremendous amount of responsibility."
But for now Giffords has opted to remain silent about her preference. And she's not the only one. Fellow freshman Rep. Harry Mitchell and Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Don Bivens are also hush-hush.
That's not the case for other Arizona politicians in the superdelegate ranks. Gov. Janet Napolitano, for instance, has been vocal about her support for Obama. And she's made clear she remains an Obama delegate even though he lost Arizona's popular vote.
"I will campaign happily for Clinton should she win the nomination, but . . . this election is far from over," Napolitano said at a recent news conference. "When you look at those delegate counts, it's very close."
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Tucson, initially a John Edwards supporter, also backs Obama, in part to avoid the campaign lobbying efforts.
"He doesn't want to wishy-wash," says spokeswoman Natalie Luna. "He likes to come out in front and be upfront and honest. He doesn't like to play games."
Not everyone, though, is crazy about the process of allowing party leaders to break from the popular vote.
"I understand the concept," says Tucson attorney JoJene Mills, who led Clinton's Southern Arizona efforts, "but I guess in Arizona, where Senator Clinton had such a decisive victory, I guess I'd be thinking they should probably take that into account."
But even though Obama's superdelegates have been more high-profile in Arizona than elsewhere in the country, Clinton has led in the category. Even in Arizona she has racked up more superdelegates, with Rep. Ed Pastor, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Carolyn Warner and activists Joe Rios and Janice Brunson committing to her.
Brunson, a former journalist living in Paradise Valley, says she pledged early for Clinton.
"I felt she was the most battle tested," Brunson said.
Still, that hasn't stopped the campaigns from calling her, with Obama's supporters asking her to change her preference.
Brunson has no plans to switch allegiances, but adds: "I will do whatever it takes to ensure a Democrat makes it into the White House."
The wild cards are two open superdelegate seats. Arizona Democratic Party Vice Chair Donna Branch-Gilby resigned her post and gave up her superdelegate spot to launch a bid for the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Her spot and another open seat — expected to go to Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard — will be filled in April.
Q&A
What are superdelegates?
"Superdelegate" is the informal name for an unpledged delegate. These individuals, mostly party leaders and elected officials, can cast votes at the Democratic National Convention for the candidate of their choice. They are not required to follow the will of voters.
How do they get designated?
Top party officials, former presidents, members of Congress and other state elected officials are typically selected as delegates.
What is their origin?
In the late 1960s, the Democratic Party made changes to its presidential nomination process to allow states and voters to have a greater say in the process. The changes were prompted by the contentious 1968 convention. In 1982, there was an effort to restore power to party leaders that had been lost in the process, and rules were changed to allow them to be able to cast votes — thus, "superdelegates."
Must so-called "pledged" delegates, decided by the popular vote, vote how they are instructed at the party convention?
No. Contrary to what many think, pledged delegates are not required to vote as they've been instructed. But they usually don't break from the party instructions.
Why do they matter?
Normally they don't, since the field of candidates is usually narrowed down by the time the convention rolls around. But with the number of delegates for Clinton and Obama close, many are suspecting that superdelegates could be a deciding factor.
In Clinton's Arizona corner:
• Ed Pastor, U.S. representative.
• Carolyn Warner, former superintendent of public instruction and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1986.
• Janice Brunson, party activist and former journalist.
• Joe Rios, party activist and former copper miner.
In Obama's Arizona corner:
• Janet Napolitano, governor.
• Rául Grijalva, U.S. representative.
The wild cards:
• Gabrielle Giffords, U.S. representative.
• Harry Mitchell, U.S. representative.
• Don Bivens, Democratic Party chairman.
The unknowns:
Two more superdelegates will be selected at an April state party meeting. Insiders anticipate one will likely be Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.
The other will replace party leader Donna Branch-Gilby, who resigned as a superdelegate to run this year for the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
