BISMARCK -- Renee Pfenning seems to be taking her increasingly vaunted status as an uncommitted Democratic superdelegate in good humor and with more than a little sense of deference to voters.
Pfenning is one of three uncommitted Democratic superdelegates in North Dakota.
She chuckled a little Tuesday when describing phone calls from out-of-state supporters of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, trying to sway her to a public endorsement.
"I've gotten calls from both campaigns and I tell them (I'm uncommitted)," she said. Then the campaigns will have a national labor official call her and try again, knowing she has a background in the labor movement.
"They're clever at checking your background and then finding someone of similar background to call you," she said.
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The big deal is that, with national delegate totals nearly tied for Obama and Clinton after the Super Tuesday caucuses and primaries, Pfenning and two other high-ranking North Dakota Democrats-as well as uncommitted superdelegates across the country-could sway the party's nomination.
Republicans, who don't have superdelegates, aren't caught up in similar drama.
The Democrats' superdelegates hold special power because they can support whomever they choose should the party contest come down to a vote at the convention, while their states' other delegates are pledged to the candidates in a ratio decided at each state's caucuses or primaries. In North Dakota, Obama won eight delegates and Clinton five.
The campaigns want commitments from superdelegates so they can plug that support into their delegate count.
North Dakota has seven superdelegates. Four of them-Sen. Kent Conrad, Rep. Earl Pomeroy, National Committeeman James Maxson of Minot and party Vice Chairwoman Mary Wakefield of Grand Forks-all endorsed Obama making their announcements before last week's caucuses.
Pfenning is the state Democratic-NPL Party's national committeewoman. The other two uncommitted North Dakotans are Sen. Byron Dorgan and state party Chairman David Strauss.
They remain mum or undecided. Of course, it stands to reason that Pfenning and Strauss really do have a preference; both voted in the caucuses last week, though haven't said for whom.
The three give the same reason for remaining officially on the fence: The selection of a candidate should be up to the voters.
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"I don't intend to commit until the primaries and caucuses have their say," Strauss said. "It will not come down to the superdelegates."
Strauss won't decide until the state party goes through at least two more steps. First, precinct caucuses and district conventions will meet and send delegates to the state convention. The state party convention will then choose delegates to the national convention.
Strauss informed North Dakota representatives of the two campaigns to pass the word to their national organizations won't get anywhere calling him, he said.
Dorgan, through spokesman Barry Piatt, said again Tuesday, as he has earlier, that he will not announce an endorsement until it appears the two candidates will go to the convention to duke it out. Piatt said he knows of no undue pressure being put on his boss by candidates' supporters.
Janell Cole works for Forum Communications Co., which owns The Dickinson Press.
