Lemont Resident Included on President Obama's Delegate Slate

resident is one of seven Democrats included on President Barack Obama slate of delegates in the 3rd Congressional District, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Ramirez, the president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, filed paperwork Friday to serve as one of Obama's 123 Illinois delegates at the Democratic National Convention this fall.

Friday was the last day for the 2012 presidential campaigns to file their delegates with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Illinois State University political science professor Bob Bradley said the delegate slates help gauge the strength of a campaign, if not the candidate.  

"That's why you pay attention to these filings," Bradley said. "You have to see who is on these delegate lists. They could be the next up-and-comers in the party. You also get a sense of who is important." 

The delegates, chosen from each of the Illinois' 18 Congressional Districts in the March primary, will go to the national nominating conventions where they will vote on the nominee for president. This year, the conventions will be held in August in Tampa, FL, for the Republicans and September in Charlotte, NC, for the Democrats. 

Illinois Republicans will send 108 delegates in all, but only 54 will vote for a presidential candidate. The other 54 will serve as alternates. Democrats will send 123 to their convention for Obama. 

Delegates are elected individually from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. Voters have to chose the delegate by name; a vote for the candidate is not counted as a vote for that candidate's delegates.   

Bradley said people selected to be delegates are known commodities in the political world, but he adds that "going to a convention is a cool perk." 

But the conventions, Bradley said, will not decide the candidates. The race for the GOP nomination will probably be over long before the August convention, he said.  

"You have one or two candidates who stay in the race no matter what," Bradley said. "But for the most part the race will be over by the Super Tuesday primary." 

Super Tuesday is the multi-state primary on March 6. Voters in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota,  Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia go to the polls and select the GOP presidential nominee.

For more information in Illinois delegates, CLICK HERE.

Editor's Note: Information from an Illinois Statehouse News article was used in this report.