If he does go, that will mean the Democrats still haven't decided a nominee for the presidential election. And if neither Sen. Hillary Clinton nor Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the nomination by August, Mahoney says we may see a brokered convention, meaning the nominee could emerge from a negotiated settlement.
A compromise candidate could be someone such as former vice president Al Gore, Mahoney said last week during a meeting with this news organization's editorial board.
If either Clinton or Obama suggested to a deadlocked convention a ticket of Gore-Clinton or Gore-Obama, the Democratic Party would accept it, Mahoney said.
Mahoney, who is one of the superdelegates who gets to cast a vote at the convention, hasn't endorsed a candidate. He said he doesn't intend to endorse anyone because "I don't see it as my job as a district representative" to endorse a nominee for the presidential race.
If neither Clinton nor Obama has enough delegates to secure the nomination by the time the convention starts Aug. 25, Mahoney will have to cast a superdelegate vote for someone. Superdelegates make up about one-fifth of the total number of delegates to the convention and are free to support any candidate for nomination. Most superdelegates are current or former elected officeholders or party officials.
As an uncommitted superdelegate, Mahoney said he has been wooed by Clinton and Obama for an endorsement. Clinton has been the more aggressive solicitor, Mahoney said.
Mahoney said he has met twice with Obama. He has met more often with Clinton. Two weeks ago, Mahoney attended a cocktail party at Clinton's house in Washington, D.C., he said. Mahoney told of how impressed he is by Clinton's commitment to helping people and her human touch. When Clinton learned that Mahoney's daughter is interested in horses, she called the girl to encourage her interest, Mahoney said.
While Mahoney hasn't committed to either contender, he clearly likes Clinton and her stance on issues. He praised her for having a grasp of matters of importance to Floridians, especially homeowners insurance reform. (He also made the point that Sen. John McCain, the apparent Republican presidential nominee, is the only candidate in either party not to support national reform of homeowners insurance.)
Mahoney described Clinton as being "incredibly bright, very personable" and having "an unbelievable grasp of policy" during his meetings with her.
Mahoney said he had intended to skip the convention because "I have better things to do in my district" than attend what recently has become a glorified pep rally. He will stay away if his superdelegate vote isn't needed. Meanwhile, he's lobbying to get the results of the Jan. 29 Florida primary vote to count.
The national Democratic Party and its chairman, Howard Dean, stripped Florida of its delegates as punishment for violating party rules by moving up the state's primary date from March to Jan. 29. Dean banned the Democratic candidates from campaigning in Florida. Still, a record 1.75 million Democrats voted in the Florida primary. Clinton won by 17 percentage points.
A recent statewide poll of registered Democratic voters by the St. Petersburg Times and its television partner showed that the campaigning boycott of Florida had little effect on Democratic voters' choices in the Jan. 29 primary. The poll showed that 56 percent said the lack of campaigning had "no effect at all" on their vote. Also, 77 percent of the people polled said that it is "very important" to them that the results of the Jan. 29 primary count.
Mirroring our editorial board's position and the poll results, Mahoney said the Jan. 29 results should be counted and the full slate of delegates should be seated at the convention.
"The delegates have to be treated fairly and responsibly and given full weight," Mahoney said.
The St. Petersburg Times poll showed that one in four state Democrats might not vote for the party's nominee if Florida delegates aren't given a full say in the presidential nomination. That would seem to indicate that all Florida Democratic candidates for office in November could be in jeopardy of losing support.
Mahoney dismisses this notion, saying the issues are too important for Democratic voters to either sit out the election or vote Republican. Democrats need to first clean up the mess they made in Florida and honor the votes of the Jan. 29 primary before they try to convince voters they successfully can govern the nation.
