A Wisconsin college student could play an instrumental role in deciding which Democratic presidential candidates reaches the White House in the coming months.
Leila Sahar, 22, a senior at Lawrence University in northeast Wisconsin, is not a superdelegate.
However, she was appointed to the influential Credentials Committee for the Democratic Party convention in August. Sahar said she was given the position after working for several years at the Democratic National Committee and talking often with DNC Chair Howard Dean.
The committee is responsible for deciding if delegates from the Michigan and Florida primaries are seated at the convention, as the states were stripped of their delegates by the DNC for moving up their primaries without authorization.
The Clinton campaign wants the delegates to be sent to the convention, but this remains unresolved and might not be an issue depending on whether one of the candidates drops out.
Sahar said she does not know which way she might rule on the issue and wants to find out more about the proper procedures that need to be followed.
I'm trying to prevent myself from making a firm decision one way or another until I hear those important details,"" Sahar said.
She said she has not been contacted by either of the campaigns or candidates.
Lawrence assistant professor of government Arnold Shober, who taught Sahar at times in college, said Dean made the right decision in choosing her.
""If they needed to pick a college student who is dedicated to a party and not a candidate, someone who is hardworking, thoughtful and does all her research, they picked the right student,"" Shober said.
UW-Madison superdelegate seeks input
UW-Madison senior Awais Khaleel is one of only a few superdelegates in the Democratic Party, someone who can vote any way he wants at the convention.
He and Lauren Wolfe, one of the other college-age superdelegates, recently posted a video on YouTube. Both said in the video they want to hear from young people before they cast their votes at the Democratic convention.
