By Billy House
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON – Barack Obama’s campaign says it suspects that Hillary Clinton is planning to break her pledge not to campaign in Florida before the state's Jan. 29 Democratic primary.
“We’re alerting people to that; it’s just what we’re hearing,” said Obama’s campaign press secretary, Bill Burton, Tuesday night.
He said Obama has no intention of breaking his pledge not to campaign in the state, regardless of what Clinton does.
The claim prompted an immediate denial from the Clinton camp.
Said Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elliethee: “We’ve signed a pledge. We intend to honor that pledge. She will not be campaigning in Florida before Feb. 5.”
Elleithee noted that there are two Clinton fundraisers scheduled for Jan. 27 in South Florida, which is allowed under the pledge.
But in a “memo to interested parties” Tuesday afternoon, the Obama campaign said that there “are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.”
Burton could not immediately provide specifics of what the Obama campaign has heard.
The flare-up comes although Democratic candidates can’t win any Florida convention delegates. The Democratic National Committee stripped the state of all of its delegates because Florida moved up its primary date to Jan. 29, against party rules.
Still, some political analyists -- such as Brad Coker of Mason and Dixon Polling and Research -- say winning the Florida Democratic primary carries the potential to be a big psychological and momentum booster headed into the so-called Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, when 1,681 Democratic delegates are decided in a deluge of contests in 22 states.
Between South Carolina’s Jan. 26 primary and Feb. 5, there are no other Democratic primaries.
The Obama campaign memo raising suspicions about Clinton and Florida is actually titled “Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary.”
The memo emphasizes that because Michigan also violated DNC rules by scheduling its presidential primary for Tuesday, that it also had been stripped of all of its delegates to the party’s nominating convention.
“All of the Democratic presidential candidates publicly pledged not to campaign in Michigan, none have visited the state, opened offices, hired staff or communicated with voters through television, mail, phones or otherwise,” the memo stated.
In addition, four Democratic presidential candidates, Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Joseph Biden withdrew their names from the Primary ballot in order to avoid participating in the Michigan Primary.
But the memo notes that Clinton did not withdraw her name even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary.
The memo goes on: “Florida, whose primary was scheduled for January 29th, is just like Michigan – the DNC applied full sanctions for setting an early primary date and there are no delegates are at stake.”
The memo also notes that as with Michigan, all of the Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not campaign in Florida.
“We raise Florida today because Senator Clinton has scheduled a fundraiser in Florida on Jan. 27th, and there are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.
“Our position and the position of the DNC is clear – neither the Florida nor Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee and we are not campaigning in either state,” said the memo.
Though denying that, Clinton's Elleithee said that “the tone of the memo suggests that Democrats in Florida and Michigan” don’t matter.
“We’re not going to campaign in these states,” said Elleithee. But to suggest “that any state or any voice doesn’t matter” is something the Clinton campaign disagrees with, he said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at bhouse@mediageneral.com or at (202) 662-7673.
“We’re alerting people to that; it’s just what we’re hearing,” said Obama’s campaign press secretary, Bill Burton, Tuesday night.
He said Obama has no intention of breaking his pledge not to campaign in the state, regardless of what Clinton does.
The claim prompted an immediate denial from the Clinton camp.
Said Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elliethee: “We’ve signed a pledge. We intend to honor that pledge. She will not be campaigning in Florida before Feb. 5.”
Elleithee noted that there are two Clinton fundraisers scheduled for Jan. 27 in South Florida, which is allowed under the pledge.
But in a “memo to interested parties” Tuesday afternoon, the Obama campaign said that there “are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.”
Burton could not immediately provide specifics of what the Obama campaign has heard.
The flare-up comes although Democratic candidates can’t win any Florida convention delegates. The Democratic National Committee stripped the state of all of its delegates because Florida moved up its primary date to Jan. 29, against party rules.
Still, some political analyists -- such as Brad Coker of Mason and Dixon Polling and Research -- say winning the Florida Democratic primary carries the potential to be a big psychological and momentum booster headed into the so-called Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, when 1,681 Democratic delegates are decided in a deluge of contests in 22 states.
Between South Carolina’s Jan. 26 primary and Feb. 5, there are no other Democratic primaries.
The Obama campaign memo raising suspicions about Clinton and Florida is actually titled “Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary.”
The memo emphasizes that because Michigan also violated DNC rules by scheduling its presidential primary for Tuesday, that it also had been stripped of all of its delegates to the party’s nominating convention.
“All of the Democratic presidential candidates publicly pledged not to campaign in Michigan, none have visited the state, opened offices, hired staff or communicated with voters through television, mail, phones or otherwise,” the memo stated.
In addition, four Democratic presidential candidates, Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Joseph Biden withdrew their names from the Primary ballot in order to avoid participating in the Michigan Primary.
But the memo notes that Clinton did not withdraw her name even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary.
The memo goes on: “Florida, whose primary was scheduled for January 29th, is just like Michigan – the DNC applied full sanctions for setting an early primary date and there are no delegates are at stake.”
The memo also notes that as with Michigan, all of the Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not campaign in Florida.
“We raise Florida today because Senator Clinton has scheduled a fundraiser in Florida on Jan. 27th, and there are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.
“Our position and the position of the DNC is clear – neither the Florida nor Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee and we are not campaigning in either state,” said the memo.
Though denying that, Clinton's Elleithee said that “the tone of the memo suggests that Democrats in Florida and Michigan” don’t matter.
“We’re not going to campaign in these states,” said Elleithee. But to suggest “that any state or any voice doesn’t matter” is something the Clinton campaign disagrees with, he said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at bhouse@mediageneral.com or at (202) 662-7673.