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By MARK CURRY
INDIANAPOLIS - Phones were ringing off the hook at the offices of Indiana’s three remaining uncommitted superdelegates the morning after the curtain fell on the political theater that was Tuesday’s state primary election. Everybody wanted to know whether the Hoosier holdouts had made any decision about who they will back at the Democratic Convention in August.
"There are now more delegates at stake in the backrooms than there are on the campaign trail," NBC’s Chuck Todd said. "So at this point, if you’re either campaign, what are you more worried about, the backroom or the campaign trail? You go to the backroom."
U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly stood and watched Obama supporters demonstrate outside the Indiana Convention Center at the Jefferon-Jackson Day Dinner Sunday. While his wife and children favor Barack Obama, Donnelly will ramin uncommitted. (HPI Photo by A. Walker Shaw
The state is residence to a dozen Democratic superdelegates, current or former party leaders and elected officials who are automatically seated at the party convention. Four, including Sen. Evan Bayh, have publicly supported Sen. Hillary Clinton’s White House bid, while five are behind Sen. Barack Obama. A 13th unpledged delegate will be added to the state roster at the Indiana State Democratic Convention slated for June 21.
Two Hoosier superdelegates made headlines in the last weeks of the campaign by announcing their support for Obama, Rep. Baron Hill (9th CD) and Joe Andrew, the former national chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Andrew, who initially backed Clinton, made national headlines when he indicated he was switching to the Obama camp just days before the election and at a time when the media was in a frenzy over the Illinois senator’s association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. By so doing, the former Indiana state party chairman was credited with diverting some attention from the Wright affair, but Tuesday’s exit polling indicated it was simply not enough. CNN reported that more than 70 percent of Clinton voters stated Obama’s relationship with his former pastor was an important consideration in determining their choice at the ballot box. Much of Hill’s district, located in the state;s southwest corner, favored Clinton, although nearly 18,000 voters - or two of every three ballots cast - went for Obama in Monroe County, home to Indiana University.
U.S. Representatives Brad Ellsworth (8th CD), Pete Visclosky (1st CD) and Joe Donnelly (2nd CD) have yet to offer a public endorsement despite the drama that captivated national audiences preceding the historic Hoosier primary. Media attention continues to focus on Indiana and the three uncommitted delegates following Clinton’s narrow victory on Tuesday. She won by 18,400 votes, about two percent of total ballots cast in the contest. None of the three are offering much in the way of who, why and when they will commit, although Rep. Ellsworth did provide HPI with the following statement:
"I stand by my belief that the American people, not superdelegates, should decide who the Democrat nominee will be, and I was glad to see record numbers of Hoosiers getting involved and casting their votes in this historic race" Ellsworth wrote. "If it comes down to the convention, I will support the candidate 8th District voters chose unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise."
Every county in the freshman’s district voted overwhelmingly for Clinton on Tuesday. Known as the "Bloody 8th," the mostly rural district stretches in a narrow column along the state’s western border, with Evansville to the south and much of Warren County to the north.
The two undecided northern Democratic congressman indicated they don’t know when they will announce an endorsement.
"Congressman Visclosky remains undeclared and undecided," spokesman Jacob Ritvo told HPI yesterday. The 12-term Democrat "is constantly gathering data" and will not establish "a self-imposed timeline" for making his decision. Ritvo said he expects Visclosky to weigh several criteria before announcing his endorsement, including the results of Tuesday’s primary vote in the 1st CD, located in the state’s northwest corner. Lake County’s 130,000 Democratic primary voters went 56-44 percent for Obama, while less-populated surrounding counties favored Clinton. In terms of issues the congressman deems important to northwest Indiana, Ritvo said "jobs, jobs, jobs" as well as the economy, trade, gas prices and health care.
Rep. Donnelly released this statement yesterday afternoon: "I have not yet endorsed either candidate who is seeking the Democratic nomination. I do not know on what date I will endorse, but when I do, I will back the candidate I think would make the best president." During last Sunday’s state Democratic Jefferson-Jackson dinner, Donnelly told HPI that his wife and children were for Obama. The 2nd CD is located just to the east of Visclosky’s district. Population centers include South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart, which favored Obama on Tuesday. More rural counties in the southern portion of the district fell into Clinton’s camp.
Here’s the breakdown for Indiana’s entire superdelegate contingent:
Endorsing Clinton
* U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh
* Dan Parker, chairman, Indiana Democratic Party
* Phoebe Crewe, member, Democratic National Committee (DNC)
* Bob Pastrick, DNC
Endorsing Obama
* Joe Andrew, former DNC chairman and former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party
* U.S. Rep. Baron Hill (9th CD)
* U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (7th CD)
* Cordelia Lewis Burks, DNC
* Connie Thurman, DNC
Unannounced
* U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth (8th CD)
* U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky (1st CD)
* U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly (2d CD)
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This entry was written by and posted on May 8, 2008 at 12:38 pm and filed under HPI Weekly. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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