Despite objections from state leaders, the national Democratic Party has finalized the selection of Alabama delegates who will cast their votes at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
The national party’s decision has resulted in 36 delegates selected by the Alabama Democratic Party earlier this year not being able to cast their vote.
In a recent press release, Randy Kelley, the Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, expressed concern over a group attempting to take over the party’s role by appointing all delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
“The group engaged in illegal and self-serving behavior by attempting to select delegates for the Democratic National Convention instead of allowing the people of Alabama to vote on them.”
Presidential candidates in Alabama, like in other states, were given the opportunity to review delegate candidates who pledged to support them. This was part of Alabama’s delegate selection plan.
When President Biden was still in the race, his campaign gave the nod to a list of delegates that differed significantly from the list elected by the state’s democratic party. The Biden campaign approved only 13 names out of the 34 district delegates, five out of nine Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEO) positions, two out of 11 at-large delegates, and one out of four alternates, as per the lists furnished by the Alabama Democratic Party.
On June 8, the state party was scheduled to elect PLEO, at-large, and alternate delegates. Unfortunately, the party was unable to reach a quorum during their meeting, leading the DNC to select individuals for those positions instead, as stated by the Democratic National Committee.
Despite multiple requests made for a list of delegates, the DNC has yet to respond.
The Biden campaign had a contingency plan in case any delegate was not approved. If such a scenario arose, the campaign chose an alternative delegate. The district-level delegates, chosen by the campaign, were included on the primary ballots and were subject to voting in March.
According to Kelley, appointing delegates is not a practice that is supported by history, rules, or laws. “A presidential candidate or any group does not have the authority to make such appointments,” he emphasized in the release.
According to Kelley, there seems to have been a deliberate attempt to prevent the Alabama Democratic Party from selecting its own delegates due to the fact that the party comprises approximately 70% Black individuals.
According to the Democratic National Committee, the delegates chosen by the Biden-Harris campaign will have the final say at the convention next month now that Vice President Kamala Harris has been confirmed as the presumptive nominee.
According to AL.com, Kelley has expressed his intention to contest the decision and stated, “We’re going to bring it before the credentials committee if we can and we’re going to have some legal recourse to it…we’re gonna fight it and make it known.”
Unfortunately, the opportunity to contest the situation has elapsed, and no further challenges can be made.
If anyone had concerns regarding the selection of district level delegates, they should have brought them up with the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee in March. On the other hand, if there were any challenges regarding the selection of at-large delegates and PLEOs, they should have been filed with the Conventions Credentials Committee in late June.
Harris has already received unanimous endorsement from Alabama’s delegates. Additionally, the Alabama party has backed Harris, aligning with the Association of State Democratic Chairs.
The Alabama Democratic Party has a long-standing history of tension with the national party. In fact, five years ago, the Democratic National Committee supported then-U.S. Sen. Doug Jones in his efforts to replace Nancy Worley, a Reed ally and longtime Chairman of the state party. Jones and a faction of the party worked together to approve new by-laws and ultimately replace Worley with state Rep. Chris England.
In 2022, the State Democratic Executive Committee elected Kelley as chairman with the support of Reed and the Alabama Democratic Conference, marking a shift in control.
According to AL.com, Kelley holds the belief that Jones was involved in the refusal of the state’s delegate selection.
“I can guarantee you that he played a role in it. I have heard from sources that he was involved, and my suspicions align with this information.”
According to AL.com, Jones clarified that he was not involved in the decision made by Biden to deny certain delegates, but did lend a hand in selecting alternative delegates for the campaign.
Jones clarified that his involvement in the selection of delegates was limited to providing a list of potential candidates. He emphasized that the campaign reached out to several individuals for delegate suggestions, not just him. “The only role that I played was offering up some names of potential delegates. And it was also a number of other people…that the campaign contacted to get suggestions on delegates,” Jones said.
According to the ex-senator, the current situation could be attributed to the ongoing conflicts between the state party and the DNC.
According to Jones, the DNC lacked confidence that they would receive a delegation that truly represented the Democratic Party. He highlighted the 2023 decision made by the State Democratic Executive Committee to remove the party’s youth, LGBTQ+ and disabled caucuses, which defied a mandate from the DNC.
The Biden campaign handpicked Jones as a PLEO, despite not being included in the initial slate presented to the state party for voting.
Jones emphasized the need to work collaboratively to energize Democrats across the state, particularly in the second congressional district, in efforts to gain another member of Congress. However, he expressed his disappointment in the party’s chairman and vice-chairman, who continue to focus on insignificant complaints.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place in Chicago from August 19th to 22nd. Despite this, the Alabama Democrats have confirmed that they intend to bring the elected delegates to the convention, as previously planned.
