Lundergan: ‘Arm-twisting’ before roll call will require work to bridge delegation divide

DENVER—U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) Kentucky campaign chair Jerry Lundergan said there are “lot of hurt feelings” among Clinton delegates to the Democratic National Convention after some supporters of presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Ill.) pushed them to change their votes in yesterday’s roll call vote.

“The arm-twisting to get that vote – a lot of people are hurt. There are a lot of hurt feelings,” said Lundergan, who previously served as the chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party. “The people that were trying to get everyone to change from Clinton to Obama I think had good intentions. I don’t think those people who were trying to get those vote switched between breakfast and lunchtime realized how deep emotionally the Clinton people are about Hillary Clinton.”

The roll call vote in Kentucky’s delegation went to Obama, by a vote of 36 to 24 – a significant difference from the 40 to 20 delegate advantage Clinton had going into the convention after her 35-point primary win in Kentucky.
Still, 40 percent of the Commonwealth’s delegates went to Clinton.

“I was elected by the people of the 4th District to represent Hillary Clinton and that’s what I did,” said Tyler Murphy, a Clinton delegate from Flatwoods. “I slept soundly last night because I did that.”

Louisville Metro Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh, a Clinton delegate and the campaign’s co-chair in Kentucky, said she had no comment in order to “stay positive.”

The former state chair for Clinton, Lundergan said he was now working for Obama, noting he told so much to Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Biden (D-Del.) on Wednesday.

“Last night, I had a chance to spend time with my good friend Joe Biden,” said Lundergan. “He has pledged to come to Kentucky to work and I have pledged to give Barack Obama and Sen. Biden all the time and backing that I can give.”

Lundergan said that backing would include encouraging frustrated Clinton delegates to support Obama.
“I’m going to do my best to convey to all my Clinton delegates that it’s in our best interest to all support Barack and Biden,” said Lundergan. “It’s my job as chair of the Clinton delegation to solve that problem and I intend to work very hard to get our Clinton people who were hurt by the actions here yesterday to come forward.”