Colorado & Denver News

DENVER (CBS4) ― Colorado Democratic Party Chair Patricia Waak has been a Peace Corps nurse, an academic, an environmentalist, an author and a Democratic leader. Now, she's a super delegate.

That means she receives hundreds of phone calls, emails and letters every week urging her to pick one presidential candidate or another. The pressure is at a fever pitch following this week's contests in North Carolina and Indiana.

"The intensity of the lobbying is ... it's pretty intense. As intense as I've faced in anything," said Waak.

Waak talked to CBS4's Brooke Wagner about why she remains an uncommited super delegate.

"I'm uncommitted because I want all the voters to have a chance to say so. I don't want this decided by super delegates. I want it decided by the voters," Waak said.

Always one to look at the political bright side, Waak sees the crush of voter input as a sign of the process at work.

"This is the upside. They're doing what they should do, they show that they care and show excitement about this race and if I were on their side, I'd be doing the same thing," Waak said.

Waak's national counterpart, Howard Dean, is urging super delegates to make their choice by June. But, Waak wonders if she'll be able to go public, even by next month.

"If it's very clear who the nominee's going to be, then it releases me, but I don't have much of a say so then, it's already been pre-determined," said Waak.

"In some ways, I'd like to be in a position to say what I think, but on the other hand, I have a responsibility to the state to make sure there's a fair playing ground," she continued.

There's no doubt, this has been one of the Democratic Party's closest races, not to mention the most historic. Waak is confident the party will be united when the convention comes in August. She said the party needs all of its members to bring their experience and enthusiasm to the table.

"What fundamentally is at stake is the division of the party. There's the new Democratic and the old Democratic party and that's what you're seeing. I think you need an amalgam of both," said Waak.

A positive thinker and approachable party chief, Waak is concerned about negativity in the campaigns. She specifically cited the uproar over Sen. Barack Obama's long-time pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Waak said Wright should have stated the facts, then stepped out of the limelight and defended himself later. Still, Waak believes the issue will only affect voters who were already leaning toward voting for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"I have concerns about some of the negativity that has occurred both in terms of some of the press coverage and in terms of the candidates themselves," Waak said. "But, as long as they have advisors who say, do the old politics, they will do that. What you end up doing is bringing out the worst in your supporters."

Meanwhile, with just five more Democratic primaries to go, polls come out every day showing how tight this race really is. After years of following and participating in politics, Waak does not place stock in the polls.

"I think the only poll that counts is the one that we cast on election day. That's an old cliche, but in the end, for all the polling, look at all the surprises we've had this year," said Waak.

The split primaries this week prove this continues to be one of the tightest races the Democratic Party has ever seen. West Virginia's contest is next week. A total of five primaries are left.

Brooke Wagner is interviewing Colorado's political players leading up to the August Democratic National Convention in Denver. Pat Waak will preside over Colorado's Democratic Convention in Colorado Springs next weekend.

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