Dems near deal on Michigan primary do-over

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Democrats are close to an agreement with presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama to hold a do-over primary.

Party officials and the campaigns negotiated Thursday, and state Democratic leaders were hopeful an agreement could be reached today, Democratic officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, told The Associated Press.

In Florida, the state Democratic Party's unprecedented plan to conduct a do-over presidential primary by mail sustained several potentially fatal blows Thursday, leaving state party leaders all but out of alternatives.

For the Michigan plan to go forward, it would require the approval of the two campaigns, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), state party leaders and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is backing Clinton.

Michigan Democrats need to act quickly because the politically divided Legislature will have to sign off on the deal and approve how to spend the privately raised funds for a new election.

Members of the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate leave at the end of the month on their two-week spring break.

The contest must be held by June 10 for the results to count under DNC rules.

The Clinton campaign made it clear it strongly prefers a state-run primary to mail-in voting, according to a campaign official speaking anonymously about the private talks.

The national party punished Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries before Feb. 5, stripping them of all their delegates.

The two states have been struggling to come up with alternative plans to ensure their delegates are seated at the national convention this summer in Denver.

Michigan held its primary Jan. 15 and Florida voted Jan. 29. Clinton won both, although she was the only major candidate on the Michigan ballot.

Florida's Democratic leaders Thursday all but pulled the plug on their re-vote plan.

The entire Democratic House delegation opposed the vote-by-mail plan, Obama and Clinton representatives expressed concerns, and state officials said Florida law would prohibit them from authenticating voters' signatures.

Verifying the signature and identity of anyone who votes by mail — either through a conventional absentee ballot or in the Democrats' proposed statewide mailed election — is considered a key bulwark against electoral fraud.

"There's no authority under Florida law that would allow county supervisors of election or the state to verify signatures in an election of a state party," said Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for Florida's secretary of state and Division of Elections.

In addition, the plan floated Wednesday by state Democratic chief Karen Thurman lacked a key provision to protect the anonymity of the party's 4.1 million voters — an inner "secrecy envelope" — though aides said Thursday the envelope would be included if the proposal gains momentum.

Given the growing criticism, problems and complexities, will the party reach agreement on a final plan by its self-imposed Monday deadline?

"I don't know," Thurman said. "I have a feeling this is getting close to not succeeding."

Clinton, Obama to debate in Philly

Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to debate in Philadelphia next month before Pennsylvania's primary, their presidential campaigns said Thursday.

ABC News will host the debate on a date still to be determined. Pennsylvania voters go to the polls April 22 for the primary, a contest with 158 delegates at stake.

Obama also has agreed to a matchup April 19 hosted by CBS News in North Carolina, his campaign said. North Carolina has 115 delegates up for grabs in its May 6 primary.

CBS News said it was awaiting word on whether Clinton would participate.

The contenders have debated 20 times during the presidential campaign.

The Associated Press