Michigan Democrats meet to pick 1st round of national convention delegates despite DNC action

[babylonsister]

Mich. Democrats fill 1st round of national convention spots

Michigan Democrats meet to pick 1st round of national convention delegates despite DNC action

KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
AP News

Apr 19, 2008 15:33 EST


Michigan Democrats met Saturday to choose their first round of national convention delegates, even though the state has been stripped of its delegates by the Democratic National Committee.

Party members were selecting 83 delegates and 15 alternates at 15 district conventions around the state. Delegates were allocated according to the results of the Jan. 15 primary, which New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won. An official list of delegates and alternates was to be released early in the week by the Michigan Democratic Party.

"It appears that there's been good turnout at all the conventions around the state," Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said Saturday afternoon. "Nobody has called with anything out of the ordinary."

In Lansing, where the 8th District meeting took place at a United Auto Workers union hall, the contest to elect the Clinton delegates took less than an hour.

But 40 percent of Michigan voters in the Democratic primary backed "uncommitted" after candidates Barack Obama, John Edwards and two others removed their names from the ballot. Competition around the state for those 36 delegate and 2 alternate uncommitted seats — all of which were expected to go to Obama supporters — was much more intense, especially since about 450 people registered to run for them.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/04/mich_democrats_fill_1st_round.php