DENVER – When the clock strikes midnight Thursday after Barack Obama makes his acceptance speech, Sacramento superdelegate Steven Ybarra will lose his seat on the Democratic National Committee.

Ybarra, a Sacramento City College professor and veteran Latino activist, got voted off the select Democratic panel after a brash publicity stunt – offering to sell his vote to Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton for a $20 million party pledge to compete for Latino votes.

But after Ybarra, 61, lost his re-election bid for a state party leadership post, and thus his DNC seat, a curious thing happened: The party pledged $20 million for a sophisticated voter recruitment effort.

Now the tall, barrel-chested man is working swank hotel ballrooms and party caucuses to push for a Latino turnout for Obama.

The Obama campaign's effort will direct Internet, television and radio appeals to English-speaking Latinos under 35 and to Spanish-speaking Latinos over 35. The effort seeks to drive up mail voting and Democratic turnout in four critical swing states – New Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Arizona – with large populations of eligible Latino voters.

The McCain campaign is responding with its own Latino outreach, including its "Estamos con McCain" ("We're With McCain") Web site and campaign tours in California and the swing states by Latino military veteran Everett Alvarez, who was a prisoner of war with McCain in Vietnam.

Ybarra, who describes himself as an activist son of a railroad foreman and "union thug," is working to lock in Latinos who overwhelmingly supported Clinton over Obama in the primaries.

In late July, the nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll found Obama had picked up much of her Latino support and led McCain among Latinos by 66 percent to 23 percent. But Ybarra says Democrats will lose if Obama doesn't get 70 percent.

"If we win Reno, we win Nevada," he says. "If we win Yuma, we win Arizona. … If we take Homestead, we take Florida and the election."

Though Ybarra insists his superdelegate vote was never for sale, some party leaders weren't exactly pleased with his bombast and the national press coverage it received.

Sam Rodriguez, a former California Democratic Party political director who consults with the Obama campaign, praised Ybarra's skills as field director in getting out the vote. But Rodriguez took issue with uncomfortable inferences to vote-selling – theatrical or not.

"Sometimes words do matter," said Rodriguez, who said the Democrats' $20 million outlay had nothing to do with Ybarra.

Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, expressed surprise and pleasure after learning in Denver about the stand he took.

"That's one way to do it," Murguía said.

Murguía said Democrats too long have assumed the Latino vote was their domain. She said the party got a jolt in the 2004 presidential election when President Bush – former governor of heavily Latino Texas – got 40 percent of the Hispanic vote.

On Tuesday, Ybarra, wearing an American flag vest and sandals revealing toes missing from a construction accident, was ebulliently greeted at a Latino Leaders Network luncheon featuring New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Denver Mayor and former Energy Secretary Federico Peña.

He was fawned over by U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County. Paula Villescaz, a 19-year-old delegate from Sacramento, applauded him for securing the $20 million.

Then Ybarra turned to Reuben Duarte, a 22-year-old UC Berkeley student and an at-large Democratic delegate.

In one quick conversation, Ybarra lined up a recruit for voter outreach:

Ybarra: "Are you ready for Reno?"

Duarte: "Yes."

Ybarra: How's your Spanish?"

Duarte: "Bad."

Ybarra: "Stick around. It will get better."

Call Peter Hecht, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5539.