Clinton’s Puerto Rico victory is largely seen as symbolic following a Democratic National Committee ruling that will benefit Senator Barack Obama. On Saturday, the DNC rules committee agreed to recognize the primary results from Florida and Michigan but only seat a portion of their delegates. The Florida and Michigan primaries had gone uncounted because they were held ahead of schedule. Clinton won both contests, although candidates had agreed not to campaign in either state and Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan. On Saturday, Clinton campaign staffer Harold Ickes criticized the ruling.

Howard Ickes: “This body of thirty individuals has decided that they’re going to substitute their judgment for 600,000 voters, and that’s what I call democracy.”

The ruling essentially splits the Michigan vote with Clinton awarded sixty-nine delegates to Obama’s fifty-nine. Clinton will gain a larger share of the Florida delegates. Democratic National Committee member Everett Ward said the decision is fair.

Everett Ward: “This motion puts an opportunity for the people of Michigan supported by the Michigan Democratic Party to have an opportunity to participate in this process. Not anywhere in this motion does it say that the unpledged delegates will go to Senator Obama. Not in the motion. So for a colleague who exercises selective amnesia conveniently too often to sit at this table and try to suggest that we are doing something that blocks voters
and hijacks a process, I find it somewhat subjective.”