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# Democrats pick Denver delegates
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/democrats-pick-denver-delegates/
- Published: 2008-04-15T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:15:13.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By DAILY PRESS STAFF*

LOS ANGELES California Democrats cast votes Sunday to choose 241 delegates to attend the party’s national convention in August, after a bumpy election in which Barack Obama’s campaign slashed then restored hundreds of candidates on the ballots.

On one level, the day held no drama. The distribution of delegates — 134 for Hillary Rodham Clinton and 107 for Obama — was determined in the state’s Feb. 5 presidential primary. Elections were held Sunday at caucuses across the state to select party members to fill those seats at the Denver convention where Democrats will anoint their presidential nominee.

More than 2,000 candidates were running, including Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, an Obama supporter, who failed to win enough votes to secure one of two male delegate spots.

“Thank you to everyone who came out for this amazingly energizing caucus — over 650 Democrats stood in line in the sweltering sun to cast their votes,” McKeown wrote in an e-mail to supporters. “It is clear that Barack Obama has inspired a dedicated campaign that will take him, and us Democrats, all the way to the White House.”

McKeown was running to represent the 30th Congressional District at the national convention. Robert Vanderet, Victoria von Szeliski, and Shayne Adamski will be the delegates. McKeown came in third for the two male delegate spots.

Higher than normal turnout was reported at the caucuses, which in some cases attracted hundreds of Democrats, party officials said.

In Los Angeles’ Century City area, 649 people showed up at a community center on a cloudless, unusually hot afternoon to vote at an Obama caucus, where 87 people were vying for three delegate slots.

In brief speeches to the crowd, a few candidates alluded to the disruption over the ballots, which prompted complaints about fairness and openness until reversed by the campaign.

The decision to reinstate the names is “a testament to this campaign,”said blogger Nathaniel Bach, who was among the candidates purged from the ballots, then restored.

Last week, the two campaigns took advantage of little-noticed California party rules to cut a raft of potential delegates in a bid to ensure that only their loyalists travel to the convention. In a tight race with an uncertain outcome, there were fears that turncoats might be concealing themselves among the candidates.

Most of the cuts — about 900 names — were made by Obama. Clinton’s campaign dropped about 50 names from its list of prospective delegates. The names were culled without explanation from the campaign or the state party, leading to a guessing game over why some people were ousted.

Facing a backlash from supporters, Obama’s campaign reversed course Thursday and reinstated the names to the ballots. Campaign manager David Plouffe said in a letter to potential delegates, “We are confident that delegates elected from this pool will reflect the senator’s commitment to a diverse and unified delegation at the national convention.”

The delegates at stake in caucuses Sunday represent only a portion of those who will attend the convention from California. Others will include 71 superdelegates, who range from members of Congress to former party leaders, and another group of 129 delegates who will be chosen next month, based on the statewide primary vote tally.

As he was scanning the candidate list Sunday, first-time caucus-goer James Otis, 44, an art dealer, said he was backing Obama because of his position on Iraq and his candor as a politician.

“It’s very important to bring the troops home,” Otis said. “Obama will do that, quickly.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 15, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)