BROOKLIN — Maine’s so-called super delegates to the Democratic National Convention will include at least one Hancock County resident, John Knutson of Brooklin.

John Knutson

Now 67, Knutson is a retired insurance executive from Michigan and a former chairman of the Hancock County Democratic Committee.

The 796 unpledged delegates represent about 20 percent of the 4,049 delegates expected to participate in the selection of the party’s presidential nominee. Unpledged delegates are free to support any candidate and are not bound to reflect the preferences of Democratic voters in their home states. The Republican Party has no comparable system of unpledged delegates.

Now, 2,025 delegate votes are needed to secure the nomination. As of this week, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama had commitments from 1,354 delegates, compared to 1,264 pledged to support U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. Those commitments include 174 so-called super delegates for Obama and 238 for Clinton. At last count, 307 super delegates remained uncommitted.

Maine expects to have 10 unpledged delegates at the convention. That number could change, however, if DNC residency requirements affect the ability of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell and former Maine Governor Kenneth Curtis to participate in the convention as members of the Maine delegation (See story).

Mitchell and Curtis are among the eight unpledged delegates named by the DNC to represent Maine. Another unpledged delegate will be selected at the Maine Democratic Party’s convention in late May.

Joining Knutson as unpledged delegates from Maine are two fellow Maine representatives to the DNC: Sam Spencer of Portland and Marianne Stevens of Augusta. A third will be selected on March 16 in an election pitting incumbent Rita Moran of Winthrop against Jennifer DeChant of Bath.

Maine’s other unpledged delegates now include Curtis, Mitchell, Governor John Baldacci and U.S. Reps. Tom Allen and Mike Michaud.

Despite Obama winning 60 percent support among Maine Democrats participating in the Feb. 10 statewide caucus to Clinton’s 40 percent, Baldacci announced on Dec. 15, 2007, that he’ll vote for Clinton at the Denver convention. Curtis also plans to support Clinton if he participates in the convention.

Knutson announced before the Maine caucuses that his vote as an unpledged delegate would reflect caucus results.

“As chair of the party, I thought it essential that I reflect what the party’s decision was going to be at caucuses,” he said last week. “Obama was the 60/40 winner, and I’m now pledged to Obama because of that. I felt it was important that I reflect the will of the folks I work for.”

Michaud and Allen both remain uncommitted, despite the fact both congressmen have accepted political contributions from the candidates.

Federal Elections Commission (FEC) campaign finance records show that Michaud accepted $5,000 in June of 2002 from Hillary Clinton’s political action committee, known as Hillpak. Those same records show Hillpak contributed an additional $5,000 to Michaud’s re-election campaign in October 2004. Michaud won both elections and was elected to a third two-year term in 2006, apparently without the help of funding from Hillary Clinton.

FEC campaign contribution filings also show that Allen accepted two $5,000 contributions in September of 2007 from Hopefund, which is Sen. Obama’s political action committee. Curiously, Allen’s personal and political friendship with former President Bill Clinton dates back to the 1960s, when both attended Oxford College in England as Rhodes Scholars.

Stevens, who is vice chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, said she remains uncommitted, as is Spencer.

Spencer, a real estate developer from Portland, hopes that the votes cast by super delegates in Denver don’t determine the nominee.

“I’m not that big a fan of super delegates,” he said in a telephone interview. “The decision should be made by regular voters, who I hope can make that decision on their own.

“It would be a real mistake if super delegates turn out to be the decisive factor in this election. To me, the most principled position is remaining uncommitted.”

Spencer isn’t now endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton despite having worked for four years in the Clinton White House in the Office of Presidential Personnel and as a special assistant to then-Vice President Al Gore.

“I get it from all sides,” he said. “My business partner, Bobby Monk, is chairman of Barack Obama’s campaign in Maine.”

Knutson said he, too, is hopeful that super delegates are a moot force in selecting a Democratic nominee.

“We all share the concern that we don’t want the party to come out of the convention with any segment of the party feeling they have not been treated properly,” he said.

“This is not a group of radicals or people out for their own purposes,” he said of the super delegates. “Their caring for the party is quite intense, as is caring about the values that this party puts forward.”

Listen to John Knutson talk about superdelegates...