Florida Democratic Party Press Release-2008 National Delegate Selection Plan

PRESS RELEASE from the Florida Democratic Party

Thurman Announces Party's Official Adoption of 2008 National Delegate Selection Plan

Approved by State Executive Committee, Plan Now Heads to DNC for Consideration

For Immediate Release: August 7, 2007

For comments in Spanish, please contact Mark Bubriski at 850-222-3411 to arrange an interview.

TALLAHASSEE - Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman is proud to announce the Florida Democratic State Executive Committee's formal adoption of the state's Delegate Selection and Affirmative Action Plan to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Plan, which sets Florida's Democratic Presidential Preference Primary for January 29, 2008, was approved on Saturday at a meeting in Orlando.

Today the Party submitted the Plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee for final approval.

"The State Executive Committee supports the Plan overwhelmingly, and we respectfully request that the Rules and Bylaws Committee approve it as well, with our full delegation to the National Convention intact," Thurman said.

"The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion, and that's why I am so proud to announce that the Plan will help us send the most diverse delegation to the National Convention in Florida's history," Thurman said. "For the first time, the Party will make an extra effort to recruit Democratic military service members and veterans, Democrats with disabilities, and young Democrats to participate in the process that will determine the next President of the United States of America."

Overview of Florida's Plan:

The "first determining step" of Florida's delegate selection process will occur on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, with a "binding" Presidential Preference Primary.
Florida has a total of 210 delegates and 36 alternates

121 district-level delegates and 25 district-level alternates. The post-primary congressional district caucus is on Saturday, March 1, 2008.
40 at-large delegates and 11 at-large alternates.
24 pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates.

Florida will select three unpledged add-on delegates.
Florida has been allocated eight members on each of the three standing committees for the 2008 Democratic National Convention for a total of 24 members. The committees are Credentials, Platform and Rules.