Clinton: Michigan, Florida wins should stand

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday appealed directly to rival Sen. Barack Obama to let her disqualified Michigan and Florida primary victories stand, saying in a letter to the Illinois senator that to do otherwise would violate the “foremost principles of our party”

The correspondence came the same day that the Clinton campaign rejected a Michigan compromise that would give her a 10-delegate edge in the state over Mr. Obama.

Mrs. Clinton said in her letter that “whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will be hamstrung in the general election if a fair and quick resolution is not reached that ensures that the voices of [Florida and Michigan] voters are heard.”

The former first lady has almost no chance of winning the Democratic nomination without Florida and Michigan, which were stripped of all their delegates by the national party after the states violated party rules by moving their primaries to January. The New York senator won both contests after neither Democrat campaigned in those states. Mr. Obama also removed his name from the Michigan ballot.

Mrs. Clinton compared the disputed Michigan and Florida contests to Florida’s disputed 2000 presidential election, in which President Bush narrowly defeated Democrat Al Gore amid Democratic accusations of uncounted ballots, voter fraud and partisan obstructionism by the office of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the president’s brother.

“The Republicans won an election by successfully opposing a fair counting of votes in Florida,” Mrs. Clinton wrote. “As Democrats, we must reject any proposals that would do the same.”

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor responded to the letter by saying that “when Senator Obama is the nominee, he will build a strong campaign in both Florida and Michigan to help put those states in the Democratic column in November.”

The proposed Michigan compromise would do little to help Mrs. Clinton chip away at Mr. Obama’s overall lead of 169 pledged delegates.

Mrs. Clinton has insisted that Michigan’s 128 pledged delegates be seated according to the state’s Jan. 15 primary results, giving her 73 delegates. Mr. Obama has suggested an even 64-64 split.

The compromise, drafted by four prominent Democrats, would split the difference between what each candidate wants, awarding 69 delegates to Mrs. Clinton and 59 to Mr. Obama.

The Obama campaign said yesterday that it would “seriously consider” the plan, which was crafted by Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger and Democratic National Committee member Debbie Dingell.

“The fact that Senator Clinton has flatly rejected the wishes of Michigan Democrats proves that her position on this matter was apparently never about principle or the people of Michigan, but about whatever political calculation benefits Senator Clinton,” Mr. Vietor said.

The DNC declined to comment on the proposal, although it likely will be addressed at its Convention Rules and Bylaws Committee on May 31.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean has said he is committed to finding a resolution to the Michigan and Florida delegate disputes before the convention.

Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation called on the national party yesterday to seat the state’s delegation based on its Jan. 29 primary, which Mrs. Clinton won 50 percent to Mr. Obama’s 33 percent.

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