Montana Democrats are gathering in Helena this weekend to vote on their party’s platform issues and choose delegates to send to the national convention in July. Party leaders are calling for unity as they move toward the November battle with the presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Unification of the party at this weekend’s convention may depend on how party members respond to Bernie Sanders’ win over Hillary Clinton in Montana’s primary Tuesday.
Clinton has claimed her party’s nomination, and has now been formally endorsed by President Barack Obama.
"On sort of a broad thematic level there is more of a split among Democrats."
That's Jeremy Johnson, political science professor at Carroll College in Helena.
Johnson says primaries can be controversial because they’re not really democratic with a small “d”, as in democracy.
He says Montana could end up supporting Clinton at the National Convention, despite Sanders' win in the primary. That’s because Montana’s super delegates likely won't announce their support of a candidate until the National Convention.
"From the very beginning Sanders supporters have been critical of that. The Democratic party establishment has rallied behind the establishment candidate Clinton. Of course, Sanders was not a Democrat until very recently, he was a socialist independent, so he has never built the bridges within the Democratic party."
Montana will send 27 delegates to the National Convention in Philadelphia this summer.
Sanders won 51 percent of Montana’s primary vote, earning him 11 delegates. Clinton won 44 percent, earning 10.
Montana’s six super delegates, which include Senator Jon Tester and Governor Steve Bullock, will have to decide where to pledge their support: with the presumed nominee, Clinton, or the winner of Montana’s primary, Sanders.
Johnson also says that over the weekend, Democratic party members will have to decide whether they want to shift planks in the party’s platform to accommodate Sanders supporters.
"Party platforms are tricky. You want to speak to the widest range of voters without offending people, because the purpose is to win the election in November, but also to unite the party behind a candidate. I think voters focus far more on the candidates themselves and far less on the planks of the platform. But they can be very helpful for party elites and for core supporters."
After discussing key party platform issues on Friday, the Democrats will vote to adopt them Saturday morning. The party will elect its delegates to the National Convention Saturday afternoon.
