Democrats’ Proposal To Re-Do Michigan Primary Founders

WASHINGTON — The drive for a second Michigan presidential primary collapsed today, and a fresh dispute broke out between Senators Obama and Clinton over the fate of the state’s 128 national convention delegates.Mr. Obama’s campaign said a fair resolution would be to split them evenly with Mrs. Clinton. Aides to the former first lady instantly rejected the idea and said they would consider a mail-in primary — even though Mr. Obama has raised concerns about the security of a vote by mail organized so quickly.Mr. Obama leads the overall competition for convention delegates, and Mrs. Clinton has been leading the effort to hold a revote in Michigan, eager for a chance to close the gap on her rival.The state held a primary in January, so early in the year that it violated party rules. As a result, it was stripped of its delegates. Mr. Obama and several other Democratic candidates removed their name from the Michigan ballot and all Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign there.Michigan Democratic leaders had proposed a do-over primary, to be conducted by the state on June 3 with funding by private donors. But lawmakers showed a lack of enthusiasm for a bill authorizing the vote, and state Senate adjourned today without taking it up.Governor Granholm of Michigan, who has endorsed Clinton, said in a statement that she was deeply disappointed the June 3 do-over was no longer a possibility.“We will turn our attention to other options,” she said. “There is no road to the White House that does not go through Michigan”In a joint statement before adjourning for two weeks the Democratic Speaker of the Michigan House, Andy Dillon, and the House floor leader, Rep. Steve Tobocman, said, “Regardless of candidate preference, members had concerns over the estimated 100,000 Michigan Democrats who would have been unable to participate in a do-over election, as well as logistical and legal difficulties faced by local clerks.” They said they would help try to find a solution that would seat Michigan delegates.Senator Dodd of Connecticut, an Obama supporter and former presidential candidate, promoted the idea of evenly splitting the delegates between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton. “The best outcome is to come to an arrangement where the delegates are apportioned fairly between Senators Obama and Clinton, so the Michigan delegation can participate fully in the Denver convention,” he said in a statement.An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said Mr. Dodd spoke to campaign leaders about the idea, and they agreed it would be an equitable way of handling Michigan. “Senator Obama looks forward to building a winning campaign in Michigan in the fall as our Democratic nominee,” Mr. Burton said.But Mrs. Clinton told reporters while campaigning in Terre Haute, Ind., that Mr. Obama’s nomination could be tainted if he achieves it without a second Michigan contest.“I do not see how two of our largest and most significant states can be disenfranchised and left out of the process of picking our nominee without raising serious questions about the legitimacy of that nominee,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters, referring to Michigan and Florida.Florida also had its 210 delegates stripped for voting in January. A proposal for a mail-in vote in the state collapsed earlier this month without support from the party’s congressional delegation.An aide who is leading the Clinton campaign’s efforts to secure delegates, Harold Ickes, said the campaign would look at a mail-in option in Michigan with the failure of the primary bill.“Assuming there is not a legislatively required rerun primary, we would seriously entertain the possibility of a party run, mail-in ballot,” he said in an interview before the Senate adjourned.Mr. Ickes said there had been no communication between the Obama and Clinton campaigns about how to settle the matter.As the Michigan plan died, Mr. Obama met Michigan resident Jeff Lynch during a campaign stop at a sports bar in Charleston, W.Va., today.“When am I going to get to vote for you in Michigan?” asked Mr. Lynch, of Mount Pleasant, Mich.“Probably in the general election,” Mr. Obama replied. “A redo vote is very complicated.”

Democrats’ Proposal To Re-Do Michigan Primary Founders

Democrats’ Proposal To Re-Do Michigan Primary Founders

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