Griffin says Michigan and Florida delegates ‘will be seated’

Janice Griffin, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s Credentials Committee, told PolitickerMD.com that she expects Florida and Michigan’s delegations “will be seated” at the Democratic National Convention.  As a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, Griffin voted last year to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates.

When asked how those states’ delegates should be allocated between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Griffin said, ““I have not had time to think about it yet.”

Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates after the states moved their primaries to January, in violation of Democratic Party rules.

“The rules were really clear,” Griffin said. “It was very important for us to have a calendar (for nominating contests).”

In 2006, the Rules and Bylaws Committee declared that only four states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina would be permitted to hold primaries or caucuses before February 5.

Both states did hold primaries this year, but with differing levels of participation from the campaigns.

Obama removed his name from the Michigan ballot, while Clinton did not. She carried the state with 55 percent of the vote, though a whopping 40 percent of the electorate voted “uncommitted.”

In Florida, both candidates appeared on the ballot but agreed not to campaign in the state. Clinton prevailed with 49.77 percent of the vote to Obama’s 32.93 percent.

The Clinton campaign includes votes cast in Florida and Michigan in its claims that Clinton is winning the popular vote and argues that those delegates should be seated – turning the spotlight on the Credentials Committee, as it must decide what to do.

The committee is comprised of 186 members who cast 183 votes; members representing American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and Democrats Abroad each cast one-fourth of a vote.

One hundred sixty-one members will be distributed based on the primary and caucus results, while an additional 25 have already been picked by DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

Clinton superdelegate Michael Steed, Griffin, an Obama superdelegate, and Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore were chosen by Dean to represent Maryland on the committee. Dixon, an Obama supporter, is not a superdelegate.

In early April, the DNC announced that Florida and Michigan members would be seated on the Credentials Committee, but ruled that the Florida representatives on the committee would not be allowed to vote on the question of whether to seat their delegates.

Alexis Herman and Jim Roosevelt, the co-chairs of the Credentials Committee, along with members Ralph Dawson, Tina Flournoy and Griffin have voted to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates.

Several media outlets have looked at the make-up of the Credentials Committee and report that it is highly unlikely that there would be enough support for the Clinton campaign’s plan to seat Florida and Michigan’s delegates according to the primary vote counts.