Michigan do over in works?

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY State-run do-over plan may come today BY KATHLEEN GRAY • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • March 14, 2008 Another proposal for a do-over Michigan Democratic primary election is taking shape in the form of a state-run election that would be paid for with private donations raised by Democrats. But time is running short. Legislation allowing for a second presidential primary would have to be written and considered by the state Legislature before the House of Representatives goes on two-week spring break on Thursday. If the bills don't pass before then, they get put on hold until April 15 when the Senate returns from its two-week spring break. According to Democratic party rules, an election would have to be held before June 10. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, a Rochester Republican, said he's willing to work with the Democrats to reach a solution as long as no taxpayer dollars are used for a do-over election. "We understand they have quite a situation," said Bishop's spokesman Matt Marsden. "So if we're called upon to be involved in assisting them, we will do so." A primary could cost up to $12 million, but Govs. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Jon Corzine of New Jersey, who are both supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, have said they're prepared to raise $30 million for new primary elections in Michigan and Florida. A team of four Michigan Democrats is charged with coming up with a solution to the problem of seating the state's delegation at the party's national convention in Denver -- U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, Democratic National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and UAW president Ron Gettelfinger. They talked Thursday with both the Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama campaigns to try to get closer to a solution on a do-over primary. A mail-in vote touted by Levin earlier this week has fallen out of favor, especially with the Obama campaign. But any other plan still needs to get the approval of the Legislature, the DNC and both candidates. The campaigns were not willing to automatically back any plan Thursday. In back-to-back conference calls with reporters, the Clinton campaign said the delegates should either be seated based on the results of the disputed primaries in Michigan and Florida -- which Clinton won -- or redo elections should be held. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "There are concerns about picking a plan that's fair and reasonable and whether there is enough time to do certain plans." In the absence of an agreement, he said, a 50-50 split of the state's 156 delegates between Obama and Clinton "would let their voices be heard." The Florida Democratic Party submitted a plan to the DNC for a do-over election, which would combine vote-by-mail and about 50 polling places across the state. But party chairwoman Karen Thurman said it's unlikely to fly because of concerns about the format. The DNC stripped Michigan and Florida of their convention delegates when the states violated party rules and moved up their primaries. The Republican National Committee also stripped Michigan and Florida of half their delegations, but the GOP nominee Sen. John McCain told reporters Wednesday that he'll work to overturn that decision and seat the entire delegations at the party's convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Contact KATHLEEN GRAY at 313-223-4407 or kgray99@freepress.com.