Clinton backers at odds with her on Florida, Michigan

Two prominent Democratic governors, both supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign, voiced doubts Saturday about her argument that her victories in Florida and Michigan should count toward her delegate total.

Pennsylvania’s Edward G. Rendell and New Jersey’s Jon Corzine suggested that it would be seen as unfair to award those delegates to Clinton, given the Democratic Party’s ruling that the vote in those two states would not count.

Trailing in delegates to Sen. Barack Obama, the Clinton campaign has said she would fight to seat Michigan’s and Florida’s delegates at the Democratic convention in August.

The Democratic National Committee stripped the two states of their delegates as a penalty for leapfrogging ahead of other states in the election calendar, a violation of party rules.

Obama and Clinton had agreed not to campaign in Florida and Michigan, partly so as not to offend states that traditionally hold early primaries and caucuses. In Michigan, Obama’s name was not on the ballot.

Clinton defeated Obama in Florida, 50% to 33%. In Michigan, Clinton won 55% of the vote, versus 40% for “uncommitted.”

Howard Wolfson, communications director for the New York senator’s campaign, said in an interview Saturday night: “We will be urging our delegates to vote to seat the delegations from Michigan and Florida. We believe that their votes should count.”

Several Democratic governors interviewed at the winter meeting of the National Governors Assn. here said that would be a mistake.

Rendell said the Clinton camp could not make a convincing case that Michigan delegates should be added to her column: “You can’t make any argument in Michigan, because Hillary was the only person who was on the ballot. I’m as avid a Hillary supporter as there is, but I don’t think we can make an argument in Michigan.”

In Florida, Rendell said, the Clinton campaign can mount a “tenable argument” that delegates should be awarded. Obama was on the ballot in Florida, for one thing. And Obama ran a television campaign ad there. It was part of a national cable ad buy. Rendell said it was likely an accident that it ran in Florida: “I believe he just didn’t think to redact Florida from the buy,” the Pennsylvania governor said.

The Clinton campaign has said that by airing the ad, the Illinois senator violated the pledge not to campaign in Florida.

And Clinton maintains that she did not campaign in the state, though she did appear there for several fundraising events before the vote. When it comes to Florida, Rendell said, “At least you can make a tenable argument . . . I’m not sure it’s a winning argument.”

Corzine said that a fair resolution would be for the two states to vote again. Because of their importance in presidential elections, neither state should be “disenfranchised,” said Corzine, who has endorsed Clinton.

In the face of the Democratic National Committee ruling that the votes in Michigan and Florida would not count, he said it would not be acceptable to change the rules.

“I think actually given how the votes came about, we probably need a revote,” Corzine said. “Some kind of new primary. I don’t really see how you can ignore Florida and Michigan.”

Other Democratic governors who have not endorsed a candidate took positions at odds with that of the Clinton campaign.

“I hate to see anyone disenfranchised, but my gut reaction to that whole thing is there were a bunch of rules that were set and you just don’t go changing the rules after the fact,” said Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee.

Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia suggested an alternative: splitting Michigan’s and Florida’s delegates evenly so that voters in those states would not feel disenfranchised.

Many of the Democratic governors interviewed concede that the party faces a predicament: Michigan and Florida are large, important states that the party hopes to carry in the general election, and nullifying election results sends the wrong sort of message.

Asked how the party should resolve the impasse, Rendell said, jokingly:

“Shoot [DNC Chairman] Howard Dean.”

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peter.nicholas@latimes.com