Wellington Webb, former mayor of Denver, speaks during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA — Two Colorado Democrats — one for Bernie Sanders, the other for Hillary Clinton — are playing an outsized role at the start of the Democratic National Convention in trying to reform party rules and maybe broker a peace between the two candidates’ camps.
Specifically, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, a Hillary supporter, and Skip Madsen, who backs Sanders, helped to craft a proposal that would limit the power of so-called superdelegates: top party officials who get to vote on the party’s presidential nominee but are not required to follow the electoral results of the states they represent.
“The primary season brought to light some issues we need to address as a Democratic family, and that is exactly what we’re going to do,” said Webb in a short speech Monday before the DNC convention.
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First lady Michelle Obama acknowledges the crowd before delivering remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25.
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U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders smiles during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Delegates cheer during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016.
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Delegates dance as Paul Simon sings during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25, 2016.
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Former Presidential candidate and US Senator Bernie Sanders gestures during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Wellington Webb, former mayor of Denver, speaks during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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A Bernard Sanders supporter glows on the floor on Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Signs in opposition to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are displayed on the floor of the 2016 Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center on July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Delegates hold up signs during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, waves to the crowd before delivering a speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25.
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Tape covering the mouth of a delegate from Michigan reads "Silenced By DNC" on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Florida delegates dance during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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Bernie Sanders supporters gather at FDR park after marching through downtown on the first day of the Democratic National Convention on July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Singer-songwriter Paul Simon performs on stage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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An attendee in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders walks the floor on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Singer Demi Lovato performs on stage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25.
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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake bangs the gavel calling to order the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25.
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Astrid Silva walks to the stage to speak about immigration during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill) delivers remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., gives his thumb up as after speaking to delegates during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama addresses delegates on Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) delivers remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia.
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U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016.
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Former President Bill Clinton applauds First Lady Michelle Obama as Eric Holder and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, take their seats during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, 2016.
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First lady Michelle Obama acknowledges the crowd before delivering remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25.
The superdelegate issue was a major one for Colorado. Democrats in the state selected 41 Sanders delegates to 25 for Clinton, but Colorado’s 12 superdelegates, which include Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, overwhelmingly backed Clinton.
Their support — along with other superdelegates nationally — was instrumental in helping the former U.S. secretary of state edge out Sanders to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
This year there were more than 700 Democratic superdelegates out of a pool of nearly 4,800 delegates.
Many Sanders supporters want that arrangement changed — a movement that gained steam this week following the as DNC chairwoman in response to the publication of leaked e-mails that showed her staff working to undercut Sanders during the presidential primary.
Webb and Madsen, a member of the rules committee from Denver, helped write a plan that creates a commission to study the superdelegate issue, which includes a mandate to slash the number of superdelegates.
The new commission will include representatives from the campaigns of Clinton and Sanders, as well as the DNC. It passed Monday, along with other rules for the convention.
“This is as good as we could have gotten, considering the situation. This is a win for Bernie,” said Madsen, who later added he still was on the fence on whether he would back Clinton in November.
Said Webb, referring to the 2016 NBA Finals: “Just as we watched LeBron James and Steph Curry shake hands after the well-fought fight, we know the country is eager to watch these two giants move forward together.”
Copies of the proposal were distributed Monday morning at a breakfast for Colorado delegates at a hotel near the convention center, and reaction to the idea was tentatively optimistic among some of the Sanders supporters there.
“Itap voter suppression at its finest,” said state Rep. Joe Salazar, a Sanders delegate, of the superdelegate process. He described the reform proposal as a start but that it would require opponents to keep fighting.
“Itap a step, and we’ll have to be diligent,” Salazar said.
Clinton delegate Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, who serves as speaker of the Colorado House, also backed the changes that would reduce the number of superdelegates.
“Itap gone too far,” she said of the superdelegate process. The reform effort “seems like a good idea, and we needed to do it.”
