Five add-on delegates were awarded during state conventions this past weekend in Alaska, Hawai'i, Wyoming and Georgia--all state Obama won by large margins.
In a slightly mild surprise, Senator Obama only won four of those five, winning the add-ons from Alaska, Hawai'i and Wyoming and splitting the two from Georgia with Senator Clinton.
In Alaska, former Governor Tony Knowles was elected by the State Convention as the add-on for the 49th state, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Obama won Alaska 75%-25% in the earlier primary contest.
Wyoming named State Representative W. Patrick Goggles of Ethete as their add-on delegate. In yet another example of how State Chairs influence how the State's Add-On Delegates are selected, Goggles was the only name put forth by fellow Obama supporter and Wyoming State Chair John Millin.
Obama won Wyoming by a 61%-38% margin in March.
Hawai'i selected James Burns, a former Chief Judge of the State Intermediate Court of Appeals and Obama supporter, as their add-on delegate, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. Burns is the son of a former Governor, but his selection by the State Party was not a sure thing, as he won by only three votes at the convention. The following from the aforementioned article is of interest to read:
Burns described the youthful activism as a revolution and said he agrees with Obama's message of change. He said if his father — party icon and former governor — John Burns, could devote his life to politics, he could give some time to the party now that he is not on the bench.
The Burns campaign for superdelegate, however, was an example of the competition between the Obama and Clinton camps. Burns had a letter of endorsement from Obama and was thought to be the favorite, but Clinton supporters pushed for a comparable candidate, with Jennifer Goto Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff in Honolulu, finally stepping forward. The state central committee was forced to choose between Burns, whose family is legendary in party politics, and Sabas, the senior senator's
point person in the Islands. Burns won by three votes."I'm really not a politician," the retired judge told reporters afterward. "But I want to get involved in the party."
Obama won Hawai'i by a 76%-24% margin.
Georgia was afforded two add-on delegate slots, and in a mild surprise Senator Clinton was able to split the award and earned the selection of her State Director, Verna Cleveland. Senator Obama gained the selection of his supporter, State Party Secretary Stephen Leeds, for the second add-on delegate slot.
Obama won Georgia by a 67%-31% margin.
No comments:
Post a Comment