DENVER—Colorado’s Democratic superdelegates are divided on which candidate they are backing for president, with three endorsing favorite western son Bill Richardson of New Mexico, two backing Hillary Clinton and a lone delegate supporting Barack Obama.
The other nine, including members of Colorado’s congressional delegation, are staying out of the fray because they don’t want to upset delegates to the state party convention next May.
Under Democratic Party rules, delegates’ votes are binding for candidates they have promised to support. Superdelegates are free to back any candidate, though once a nominee emerges, they usually back the winner.
Superdelegate endorsements carry weight because they come from party leaders who don’t have to worry about getting elected at the convention, said state Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak.
Superdelegates include the 235 Democratic House members and nonvoting representatives, 49 senators, the District of Columbia’s two “shadow senators” and 28 governors. They total 314—about 14 percent of the 2,182 delegates a candidate will need to secure the party’s presidential nomination at next year’s national convention in Denver.
Colorado’s superdelegation includes the governor, a former governor, four members of Congress, a senator, and eight members of the Democratic National Committee.
Debbie Marquez, a DNC member from Edwards, said she’s backing Richardson because of his high moral standards, “but I’m still holding out hope Al Gore will join the race.”
Ramona Martinez of Denver said she also is backing Richardson because she believes he is the only candidate who can beat a Republican.
Gore has declined to run this year, but Richardson is gaining support in western states and is now at the top of so-called second tier candidates with 5 percent support among registered voters in Colorado.
Dan Slater, a superdelegate from Canon City, said he’s backing Barack Obama because he believes Obama has a vision for the United States. “We need someone who will inspire America,” he said.
Mannie Rodriguez of Denver is backing Clinton because of her experience, both in the White House and in the U.S. Senate.
“She’s offering a program for the middle class, a program for a universal health plan, and she’s going to help minorities,” Rodriguez said. Maria Handley of Lafayette also is backing Clinton.
Waak said she isn’t endorsing anyone until a clear winner emerges because as party chairwoman she has to stay neutral.
Democratic senatorial candidate Mark Udall also isn’t talking.
“Let’s just say he’s keeping his powder dry,” said spokeswoman Tara Trujillo.
Others staying out of the fray include state Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, who is running for Congress, former Gov. Roy Romer, who is running a bipartisan education campaign, and Gov. Bill Ritter.
A poll by Floyd Ciruli earlier this month gave Clinton an apparent edge over John Edwards and Barack Obama in the Colorado race for the White House.
Some 29 percent of Democrats said they supported Clinton, compared to 23 percent each for Edwards and Obama, the poll indicated.
The telephone poll of 504 registered voters was conducted Sept. 12-15 and had a margin or error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. It was conducted as part of a survey on economic development sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Colorado, a statewide, nonprofit organization formed to attract business.
