Dems get creative in pursuing delegate spots

How would you like a no-expenses-paid Denver vacation when restaurants are sure to be crowded, streets clogged and security tight at every turn?

To 2,500 Democrats, it sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

From schoolteachers to college students, from state workers to state legislators, Democrats across California are signing up in droves to become one of 241 locally elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The fluidity of the Democratic presidential race between Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, plus the opportunity to select the first African American or female major-party nominee, has drawn record interest in a party activity once dominated by the politically connected.

"I'm clearly an outsider to become a delegate, but the main reason I signed up is this is historic," said the Rev. Tim Malone, 51, a Davis activist who is African American and running to become an Obama delegate. "I'm still stunned that Barack Obama is leading right now. I'm shocked. I'm older, and I'm one of those folks who thought I'd never live to see the day."

Any registered Democrat can run in special delegate caucuses April 13 in each of California's 53 congressional districts. Unlike the "superdelegates," the party officials and others who have garnered substantial attention in recent weeks because they can vote for whomever they want, local delegates are expected to carry out the wishes of voters in the Feb. 5 primary.

The prize is hardly a junket. Local-level delegates have to pay for their own flight, lodging and meals, which the party has estimated at $2,500 apiece.

Conceivably, one could just show up the day of the April 13 caucuses, give a 30- to 60-second speech and sufficiently inspire a crowd of several hundred Democrats. But longtime Democratic activists say winning a delegate seat often requires bringing your own votes, and organized political networks like unions or advocacy groups have a built-in advantage.

That hasn't stopped people like Tamie Dramer from getting creative.

Dramer, 38, is running on a family slate in the 5th Congressional District with her partner, Eric Sunderland, and their 18-year-old daughter, Andee Sunderland. They plan to lure supporters by bringing their grill and holding a tailgate party outside the Obama caucus.

"We might as well feed them," said Dramer, a Sacramento affordable housing advocate. "We're going to put a couple tables out and see who shows up."

Dramer and Eric Sunderland were supporters of former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina before he dropped out of the race in late January, though their daughter had backed Obama all along.

"I feel that (Obama) is honest, I feel like he has integrity," Dramer said. "I appreciate that he's been against the war since the beginning."

Dianna Francis, 45, signed up to become a Clinton delegate when she visited the state party Web site to become a volunteer and saw a solicitation to go one step further.

She said she prefers Clinton for her experience and the possibility of having the first woman as president.

"I saw the applications and said, 'I'll just do this,' not knowing what it meant," Francis said. "I'm still very confused about the process, but I'm excited about it, and I think it will be fun. … I was telling one of the ladies that I carpool with that this was happening, and she said, 'We caucus?' "

The state Democratic Party is processing mounds of applications and expects a record number of competitors, said spokesman Bob Mulholland. By his estimate, fewer than 10 percent will actually win a seat.

A veteran of state and national conventions and a superdelegate himself, Mulholland said it's hard to become a local delegate without building a coalition of support beforehand, though that coalition may not always be what you'd think.

"Once in a while, we'll get some young person who gets the fraternities to show up," he said. "As long as they're registered Democrats (in that district), they can vote. Most of the people who have gone to the caucuses have gone on behalf of groups such as a union or Democratic club. It's a lot of wheeling and dealing because you're not going to become No. 1 on your looks."

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• Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548.