Democrats look for solution for Florida, Michigan delegates

Eight years ago, Americans watched as Republican election officials in Florida made decisions that determined the outcome of the presidential contest. This year Florida Republicans are at it again.

Delegates in Florida and Michigan were selected in nonbinding January elections that violated Democratic Party rules that prohibited most states from holding their elections before Feb. 5. 

Sen. Hillary Clinton won both states and now wants the delegates counted, but supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's campaign argue that the Democratic Party should stick by the rules it originally set. Some leaders in and out of the party are calling for a "do-over," in which the two states would hold new elections, but questions remain about what type of elections would be held and who would pay for it.

The Obama campaign tends to perform well in caucuses while the Clinton campaign prefers primaries over caucuses. If a revote were held in Florida and Michigan, the two sides may have different opinions about how it's conducted and when. But that's not the only issue facing the two campaigns.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton supporter, have put forward a joint proposal for a primary revote, paid for by the Democratic National Committee.  But DNC Chairman Howard Dean said on Thursday that the party will not cover the millions of dollars it would cost for a new primary. Crist, on the other hand, argues that the state of Florida should not have to pay the cost.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), a Clinton supporter, joined in the call for a revote on Thursday, arguing on CNN that the DNC should cover the expense. When asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper why the Democratic Party should pay for a revote when Florida knowingly violated the rules, Nelson blamed the Florida Republican legislature and Republican governor who signed the law moving the primary date, knowing the controversy it might cause for the Democrats.

The cost to conduct a revote could reach $28 million, according to the New York Times. But the DNC doesn't have the money.  The party ended 2007 nearly flat broke, with cash of $2.9 million and debts of $2.2 million, the Times reported. Even after the record fundraising for Clinton and Obama this year, the cash infusion hasn't taken place at the party level. According to the Times, the Democratic Party only has $3.7 million in the bank.