Obama ready to forget primary pain

Washington: Looking to build Democratic unity, Barack Obama has called for restoration of full voting rights for convention delegates from the key swing states of Florida and Michigan, which flouted party rules by holding their primary elections too early.

Hillary Clinton, who ran a close second to Obama in the party's nomination process, won both states and had argued unsuccessfully that delegates she captured in those contests should be counted in her favour.

The delegates were each awarded a half vote each in a compromise reached during a contentious Democratic party meeting in May. Obama secured the necessary number of delegates shortly afterward, and Clinton suspended her campaign and threw her support behind her first-term Senate colleague.

Obama had opposed full votes for those delegates until now, with the party's national convention less than a month distant and his nomination as its presidential candidate all but certain.

"We must be and will be united in our determination to change the course of our nation. To that end, Democrats in Florida and Michigan must know that they are full partners and colleagues in our historic mission to reshape Washington and lead our country in a new direction," Obama said in a letter to the party credentials committee that was distributed to reporters on Sunday by his campaign.

The delegates were originally stripped of voting rights at the Denver convention late this month because the two states violated party rules by holding primaries before February 5.

Obama's endorsement virtually guarantees the delegates will have full voting rights. Clinton, who also has supporters on the credentials committee, had lobbied to reinstate the delegates.

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said, "Today is a proud day for all of us who fought so hard to ensure Floridians votes are fully counted." She said Obama's request proves "his commitment to uniting the party and ending the uncertainty surrounding the process."

Both Democrats and Republicans struggled to control their primary calendars this year, with states jockeying to increase their influence by moving their nominating contests earlier. The Republicans penalised five states - Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Wyoming and South Carolina - for holding contests before February 5.