But Allen, who is running for US Senate, is in the toughest spot of all. The 1st Congressional District, which includes Portland, voted overwhelmingly for Obama. But Allen has been friends with Bill Clinton since the two were Rhodes Scholars together at Oxford University. And, if Allen wins the Senate race (which could depend on how he votes at the convention), he’ll likely have to face the candidate he voted against every day at his new job. The communications director for Allen’s campaign, Carol Andrews, says the congressman is waiting for the voters to decide. If the vote comes down to the superdelegates, Allen will have to choose between turning his back on his longtime friends the Clintons, or on his constituents.
Personal and political alliances aside, there’s another factor that may sway those superdelegates who are elected officials: money. In mid-February, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics released a report stating that, since 2005, Clinton and Obama had made more than $900,000 in campaign contributions to superdelegates through their political-action committees, Clinton’s Hill PAC and Obama’s Hopefund.
The report found that politician superdelegates generally voted for the candidate who had contributed to their campaign and superdelegates who had received contributions from both Obama and Clinton tended to favor the one who gave them more money.
Baldacci, Michaud, and Allen have all received campaign contributions from either Clinton or Obama at some point during the last six years (see sidebar).
But was the 500 bucks Clinton gave Baldacci in 2006 really enough to buy his vote? Corrado doesn’t think so. “The contributions don’t tell the story,” he says. Politicians often campaign and fundraise for one another, he says, and Obama and Clinton are two of the best fundraisers in the US Senate.
Not surprisingly, spokespeople for Allen, Baldacci, and Michaud all deny that campaign contributions will influence their votes at the convention.
Disaster or Victory
What comes next is a grueling march through eight states and two territories. The candidates are already campaigning in Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22, and the grind won’t stop until the June 1 primary in Puerto Rico. It may even continue after that, as Democrats in Florida and Michigan seek to have their voices counted.
All the while, Clinton and Obama will dump scandalous amounts of money into the nomination contest, and spill tons of bile conducting a scorched-earth campaign that may well leave us all burned.
But, McCain’s eyes are already set on the real prize. He’s at work unifying the Republican Party and devising a strategy to win in November.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party bigwigs are watching the race, assessing their options before they weigh in at the convention.
If the superdelegates choose wrong, they’ll bring disaster, both alienating the party base and losing the White House.
If they choose wisely, they’ll follow the will of the people all the way into the Oval Office.
Bridget Huber can be reached at bridgethuber@yahoo.com.
