An ASU student and a recent graduate will be voting on behalf of Arizona Democrats on Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Political science senior Lisa Fernandez and May graduate Sean Bowie are two of 67 Arizona delegates who will choose the Democratic presidential nominee. They’ve spent more than a year trying to get Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to the podium Thursday.
Fernandez, president of the ASU Young Democrats, has politics in her blood. Her mother is a superdelegate and worked for Rep. Ed Pastor for 12 years, and her brother has worked on Capitol Hill. Fernandez, a Congressional District 7 delegate, founded Arizonans for Obama in February 2007.
“After eight years, we need change,” Fernandez said.
Bowie also caught the politics bug at a young age. Bowie said he’s always wanted to go to the convention. He remembers watching Bill Clinton get the nomination in 1996 when he was 12 years old. Since then, he has been fascinated with politics and devoted much of his life to it.
He is the ASU chapter director for Students for Obama, the student wing of Obama for America. Bowie, a Congressional District 5 delegate, graduated in May with degrees in political science and history.
There’s no doubt who he will be voting for at the convention, he said.
“At ASU, I was trying to get the word out about Barack and constantly trying to get young people motivated to go out and vote,” Bowie said. “[Obama] wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has had to work for all he’s had. He has the qualities I admire in a candidate and a human being.”
Bowie’s and Fernandez’s heavy involvement in the Obama campaign is the reason local party leaders voted for them as delegates to represent Arizona Democrats at the convention. Precinct committee members voted in the spring for potential delegates who shared their presidential preference.
Delegates typically go to the convention supporting their candidates, in this case most likely either Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton. But regardless of candidate preference, eventually the delegates usually vote for the party’s understood nominee. A majority vote is needed to seal the nomination.
Many delegates from Arizona are still heavy supporters of Clinton, said Rodolfo Espino, assistant professor of political science. This makes her a threat to the nomination of Obama, who technically does not have a delegate majority, he said. Because of this, he said, the convention will be one for the ages.
“It’s going to be interesting because you are going to see sizable votes cast for Clinton because of bad blood between Obama and Clinton,” Espino said. “This is going to be one of the most exciting conventions to watch in our lifetime — since the TV became a household item. We may never see another convention like this.
“But you never want say never in politics.”
Bowie said he’s excited and doesn’t take the opportunity lightly. He paid for the weeklong trip out of his pocket, which he said was no small feat since he hasn’t worked a full-time job during his stint as a volunteer for Obama.
“It’s been tough, but worth it,” Bowie said. “This is a big responsibility and something I take great joy in.”
Reach the reporter at philip.haldiman@asu.edu
