Democratic delegate wannabes warm up for candidates
Set sights on convention in Milwaukee in July
They’ve hosted house parties, knocked on doors, sent texts and in some cases, donated money, but as the calendar marks less than four months until Pennsylvania’s presidential primary, dedicated supporters of the remaining Democratic contenders are just now beginning to enter the formal process of becoming delegates.
With their sights set on July’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, interested delegates have the month of January to file their official paperwork with the state party, pledging their support to the candidate of their choice.
Many have done so already, officially entering the mostly ceremonial but potentially important process of representing their candidates on the national stage. Though Pennsylvania’s 125 district-level delegates are pledged to specific candidates, the restraints are lifted if a crowded field forces a second ballot come convention time.
The delegate process is also quite telling, marking one of the first visible tests of a candidate’s support in the state, as well as how much grassroots energy a candidate has in each congressional district.
“This is our one chance to make a difference here,” said Josh Sektnan, a second grade schoolteacher in Moon who applied to become a delegate for former Vice President Joe Biden “I want to make sure we nominate somebody who has a chance to beat President Trump.”
Mr. Sektnan, early to apply through the state party, will have to wait until Jan. 28 — the deadline for interested delegates across the state to submit their pledges.
After that, he will sit back as the state party compiles a list of names of those who want to become delegates for each candidate. Those lists will be turned over to the campaigns, which will then vet the prospective delegates and settle on a slate.
If Mr. Sektnan makes it that far, he will then have to go door-to-door in his district to acquire petition signatures. Only then will he be on the primary ballot, and his victory will matter only if Mr. Biden — his candidate of choice — also does well enough in the primary.
Until then, the candidates and delegates are — in a sense — trying out for each other.
“In 2008, when I worked on the Obama campaign, the delegates that we picked were the ones that were the hardest workers,” said Jason Henry, who helped develop and implement the Pennsylvania Democratic Party’s delegate plan.
The chosen delegates are typically those who are “constantly hustling to pick up votes” for their candidates, Mr. Henry said.
One of those is Bryan Bass-Riley, a volunteer for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has led the “Pittsburgh for Warren” effort. He’s co-hosted coffee meetups with other supporters to discuss campaign strategy. He’s helped organize debate watch parties. And in mid-January, he’ll host a phone bank.
Mr. Bass-Riley, who was not active in political campaigns until this past year, said he submitted an application to the Warren campaign a couple of months ago, indicating his interest in being a delegate in the 14th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. He recently submitted his pledge form to the state party, too.
“It would be an incredible opportunity to be present and see how the decisions get made,” Mr. Bass-Riley said. “Given the division within the party, I can imagine the possibility of a contested convention this year, which would make it even more exciting and historic.”
The supporters who want to be delegates “are already on the radar of their respective campaigns,” Mr. Henry said.
The 85 other delegates representing Pennsylvania are either automatic or chosen by the state party at a meeting in June.
Twenty of those either will be row officers, county officials or statewide elected officials — among other official Democrats — and are chosen by members of the
Democratic state committee.
Another 41 delegates are atlarge, chosen by the committee and must declare a preferred candidate by June 9.
The final slate of 24 are considered ‘automatic delegates’, which aren’t pledged to a candidate, and include federally elected officials, Gov. Tom Wolf, former DNC Chair Ed Rendell and members of the Democratic National Committee. They will be eligible to vote on a second ballot for whomever they prefer.
According to officials familiar with the process, becoming a delegate takes a good degree of luck. Interested supporters have to be approved by their candidate, secure petition signatures, win on the ballot then hope that their candidate performs well enough, too.
If all goes as planned, Mr. Sektnan said he thinks he’ll get to witness history at the convention.
“There’s still going to be a lot of candidates, and Pennsylvania is going to be a last stand for a couple candidates,” Mr. Sektnan said.