Diana DeGette has laid claim to the unusual distinction of hosting a Democratic National Convention physically located entirely in a single congressional district: Hers. In the past, conventions have overlapped multiple districts, the congresswoman said Wednesday during a roundtable discussion. The 2008 convention, which takes place next August in Denver, will be contained inside the 1st District.
That could make things a little awkward for DeGette if the nominee isn’t Hillary Clinton, who DeGette publicly endorsed Monday, saying she has the most “depth of experience.” But DeGette, who serves on the convention’s executive host committee along with Governor Bill Ritter, Senator Ken Salazar and Mayor John Hickenlooper, said she’s not worried about the potential consequences. “If she’s not [the nominee], I expect I’ll have the same role,” DeGette said about her part in the convention, adding that she respects all of the Democratic candidates and will support 100 percent whoever is nominated.
A larger concern, she joked, is where Florida’s congressional delegation will stay when they are in town. Although the other 49 states were assigned hotels last week, Florida was left out, and the state has been stripped of its 210 delegates after deciding to hold its primary early, on Jan. 29, against the wishes of the Democratic Party. DeGette said Florida's epresentatives might have to sleep on air mattresses in her basement, or possibly “in Wyoming somewhere.”
And speaking of travel, if Hillary does become president, DeGette already has a role in mind for the First Man, Bill Clinton. “I would use Bill to travel and talk to our allies around the world and bring them back into the fold,” she said. Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would make an effective team, repairing the damage that she believe the war in Iraq has created, she added. – Jonathan Shikes
