Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s hopes of ending the primaries with game-changing victories from new contests in Florida and Michigan grew dim on Tuesday as Florida officially scuttled plans for a new vote and Michigan lawmakers appeared far from a deal.
In a sign of how badly she thinks she needs the Michigan delegates to catch the Democratic front-runner, Senator Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton made a last-minute schedule change and planned to fly to Detroit on Wednesday to plead with Michigan lawmakers to approve a new primary election in June to replace the January contest that awarded no delegates.
“We will go and make the case for a revote,” said Mo Elleithee, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton.
Mr. Obama’s campaign has resisted a new contest, saying that Michigan Democrats are divided, that a revote would not make much difference in the overall delegate count and that the Clinton camp was trying to change the rules to suit itself.
The Michigan Legislature, which would vote on approving a new election, is deeply torn on it because of cost, legal questions and logistical difficulties.
Another spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, Phil Singer, said Mr. Obama was trying to disenfranchise Michigan and Florida voters. “By failing to encourage its supporters in these states to throw their support behind efforts to hold new primary elections there,” Mr. Singer said, “the Obama campaign is allowing nearly 2.5 million voters to be excluded from the nominating process.”
A spokesman for Mr. Obama, Tommy Vietor, said the difficulties with a new election outweighed the advantages.
“We understand that when it comes to counting votes, the Clinton campaign favors whatever they think will benefit them,” Mr. Vietor said. “But on a day when Michigan legislators themselves have indicated that there isn’t enough legislative support for a revote, and when Senator Clinton’s own Michigan co-chair said that a revote ‘wouldn’t make much difference,’ it doesn’t make any sense for them to point fingers at our campaign.”
Bigger stakes for Clinton
Political analysts said Mrs. Clinton had far more to lose from the deadlock than Mr. Obama, which explains why she has pressed harder for revotes. Mrs. Clinton trails in elected delegates and the popular vote. With 10 contests remaining, she will find it virtually impossible to close the gaps without new elections in Florida and Michigan.
A senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton, Harold Ickes, accused the Obama campaign on Tuesday of “dragging their feet” and blocking Michigan’s efforts to approve a new primary for June 3.
“The Obama campaign is saying essentially, ‘We don’t want a primary,’ ” Mr. Ickes said.
He added that denying delegates from Michigan and Florida seats at the Democratic convention in August would be “a politically stupid thing to do” and could cost the nominee two crucial states in November.
Representative John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat who supports Mr. Obama, said the Obama campaign supported a new election to resolve the impasse — in theory. But it would be expensive and possibly illegal.
“While a redo would be an excellent way to solve it, there’s a little problem of about $12 million,” Mr. Conyers said. “I also question the legality of someone raising private money to conduct a public election.”
Little support for revote
In Lansing, lawmakers looked at a proposal by Michigan party leaders for a privately financed revote on June 3 that the state would run. A new election requires a two-thirds vote of both houses in the Legislature. As of Tuesday night, the votes did not seem to total enough to pass the measure. Some party officials voiced guarded hope that a deal could be reached before the week ends, when lawmakers start a two-week recess.
Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania and Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey, Clinton supporters, are trying to line up money to pay for a Michigan revote. Mr. Rendell called the financier George Soros, a Democratic donor, on Monday and asked him to help pay for a revote.
Mr. Soros, who has contributed to Mr. Obama but has no formal campaign role, refused, a spokesman, Michael Vachon said, adding, “George Soros does not support holding another primary in Michigan, because he believes doing so will further delay the selection of a Democratic candidate for November.”
Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates for violating party rules by holding their contests in January.
Patrick Healy contributed reporting.