Youngest Ken. delegate heads to Denver in support of Clinton

Micah Spicer was just about seven years old when he first encountered the Clinton political dynasty. The occasion was a campaign trip through western Kentucky by former President Bill Clinton, during his 1996 re-election bid. Clinton stopped in Mayfield and Spicer’s hometown of Wingo, and Spicer got a handshake out of the visit.

In a rural community like Wingo, presidential politics often play out in newspapers and on television screens – not in your own town and rarely within handshaking distance. For Spicer, Clinton’s visit was significant and part of the reason the Clinton family has built a “nest of support” in western Kentucky.

“That’s special,” said Spicer. “I don’t remember a presidential candidate making a trip to western Kentucky other than the Clintons.”

Twelve years after that handshake and another presidential bid by a Clinton later, Spicer feels a connection to the Democratic Party’s most prominent political family. Like her husband before her, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) campaigned heavily in Kentucky, stopping in the western reaches of the Commonwealth.

Now, Spicer is preparing to head to Denver, Colo. this August for the Democratic National Convention as an elected Clinton delegate and the youngest member of the state’s delegation. And when he gets there, he fully intends on supporting Clinton from the convention floor.

“It’s one of those things,” said Spicer, a nineteen-year old Campbellsville University sophmore. “When I was elected I said I was going to support Hillary Clinton, and I’m going to support her.”
It was another encounter with a Clinton that clinched Spicer’s support in this election cycle and set his sights on becoming an elected delegate.

In December of 2006, Spicer was planning to travel east to Louisville for an event where Sen. Clinton was speaking. He wrote ahead to then-Kentucky Democratic Party chair Jerry Lundergan, asking if he could have his photo taken with Clinton at the event. His request was accomodated, and Spicer met the future Democratic primary frontrunner.

“I decided then if she ran for president, I wanted to be at convention,” said Spicer.

Spicer’s journey from Wingo to Denver is an impressive one that began just a few years ago, when he was still enrolled at Graves County High School. He had come from a family where politics were frequently discussed and allegiances were known.

“My grandmother was a staunch Democrat,” said Spicer. “She complained about any Republican you could think about.”

Spicer’s parents encouraged him to seek out a position in the newly-formed Young Democrats club at his high school, and he secured that group’s presidency during his junior year.

The position also landed him a spot on the Graves County Democratic Party executive council, where he began to form relationships with many of western Kentucky’s prominent politicians.

Given his age, Spicer’s political connections may inspire envy. When he decided to seek the elected delegate position, it was state Rep. Fred Nessler (D-Mayfield) who took him to Frankfort to learn the procedure. When he travelled to Lexington to the state Democratic convention where he was elected, it was former U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard (D-Lowes) who wore one of his campaign t-shirts. Spicer even cites a close relationship with state House Speaker Jody Richards (D-Bowling Green) – a man he refers to as a “mentor.”

Still, despite the political heavyweights backing him, when Spicer arrived at the state convention on the day of the delegate election, he thought the odds were against him.

“There was a former candidate for U.S. Representative running for delegate,” said Spicer. “I thought there was no way I’d be able to do this.”

Spicer and a 13-member strong Graves County delegation campaigned hard for his candidacy at the convention, distributing literature and shaking hands. Despite a field of well-known opponents, he ultimately secured one of the four Clinton delegate spots allocated to his 1st Congressional District.

In the May 20 primary, Clinton carried the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a 35- point margin over now-presumptive Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) – a clobbering by any stretch of the imagination. Still, While Clinton delegates will dominate the Kentucky delegation to Denver, it is now clear that the convention will be Obama’s.

The loss will be disheartening to Clinton supporters like Spicer, who still hold that Clinton was the best general election candidate.
“I feel certain that Hillary Clinton would have had a much better chance winning in November than Obama,” said Spicer about his choice.

Thus, Spicer’s commitment to Clinton is unwavering. He says that, even though some superdelegates are attempting to rally all the state’s delegates to vote for Obama at the convention, his delegate vote will go for Clinton.

When asked if he would support Obama in November, Spicer said he likely would, despite what he sees are pockets of resistance to Obama’s candidacy even among his fellow western Kentucky Democrats.

“I’ve talked to a lot of hardcore Democrats who won’t vote for Obama,” said Spicer. “I don’t like to think race is an issue. It’s a question behind his religion. They are not interested in voting for someone who listened to Jeremiah Wright all those years.”
Obama was a member of Rev. Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago for years before quitting the church following the circulation of Wright’s comments deemed by some to be “unpatriotic” and racially-charged.

Despite that, Spicer says choosing presumptive Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is not an option.

“We’re all Democrats and will come together to support Obama,” said Spicer.” I will not support John McCain. I will probably vote for Barack Obama.”

Even as a Clinton supporter going to an Obama convention, Spicer is thrilled to have the opportunity to go to Denver. With all eyes focused on the convention and all of the party’s power brokers in one place, it is an ideal place for a young politically-minded person.

“I can’t tell you the excitement I feel,” he said.
Part of the excitement for Spicer will be at seeing how the now-dormant Obama versus Clinton battle actually plays out on the floor.

“Two or three different things could happen,” predicts Spicer. “The Clinton delegation could cause a stir or they could unify with the rest of the party.”

Democratic Party of Kentucky chairwoman Jennifer Moore shared Spicer’s general excitement and said she understood his connection to Clinton, but added she thought Democrats from across Kentucky and the nation would eventually rally behind the nominee.

“It’ll be a great experience for him and a life changing opportunity,” said Moore.

“Of course, he feels a sense of loyalty because he was elected as a Clinton delegate,” she added. “But, at end of the day, all of us will come together to support Barack Obama.”

As a young man who has already accumulated his fair share of powerful allies, Spicer notes he is not headed to the convention with his sights on a job in Washington.

Instead, his ultimate goal is a seat in Frankfort, where he says he can stay connected to his community as a representative, rather than lose sight of where he comes from.

“People say ‘wouldn’t you like to go to Washington?’” said Spicer. “It’s good to do those things, but when you get to that level you don’t even know the people you represent.”