The not so pledged delegate

Johnson stumps for Clinton in February: Politicker PhotoPrince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson's decision to leave Hillary Clinton for Barack Obama rasies the question of how pledged is a pledged delegate?

Johnson told The Washington Post today he could not “in good conscience” go to the Democratic National Convention and continue to support Clinton.

Johnson is one of 28 so-called pledged delegates committed to Clinton within the state. In the Maryland primary last February, Obama defeated Clinton by a margin of 61 to 36 percent.

So, could Johnson legally support Obama at the convention if so desires? If so, could he do it on the first ballot? According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the answer is yes.

“Delegates are NOT bound to vote for the candidate they are pledged to at the convention or on the first ballot," a DNC memo that surfaced in February said. “A delegate goes to the convention with a signed pledge of support for a particular presidential candidate. At the convention, while it is assumed that the delegate will cast their vote for the candidate they are publicly pledged to, it is not required.”

At the time of the memos release, the Clinton campaign began floating the idea that they would pursue both super and pledged delegates to win the nomination.

Now, with Obama on the cusp of the nomination, that talked has dimmed down, but what about Johnson’s switch to Obama?

“This was his decision,” Michael Buckley, the communications director of the group Maryland for Obama said of Johnson during an interview with PolitickerMD.com. “I would prefer that he speak for himself but we welcome any supporters in the state of Maryland.”

“I don’t think this was about a campaign going after another candidate’s delegate,” David Paulson, communications director of the Maryland Democratic Party, said. “The county executive made a personal decision.”

Johnson, who could not be reached for comment, told the Post that his job “is to bring unity, and we will not have unity in Maryland if Barack Obama is not the nominee.”

He also said he would urge Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Baltimore), who co-chair Clinton’s Maryland campaign, to release all of her Maryland delegates for that unity.

So far, neither O’Malley nor Mikulski has shown any desire to do so.

Though that should prove insignificant in a short time; given that Obama is roughly 150 delegates away from securing the nomination.