Guam in spotlight as Democrat fight goes Pacific
DEDEDO, Guam (Reuters) - Democrats in the tiny tropical U.S. territory of Guam queued up on Saturday to vote in the latest presidential primary, relishing a rare opportunity to bask in the political spotlight.
"This is a historic event for Guam. I want to do my part," said Alexandra Kerr, a 19-year-old university student who was waiting to cast her ballot in Dededo, the largest village on this Pacific island, which is over 20 hours by plane from Washington.
Residents of Guam, known as Chamorros, cannot vote in the presidential election but the island sends eight delegates with half a vote each to the Democratic convention in August.
With Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton by an estimated 1,733 to 1,598 in the delegate tally, the vote from Guam will not count for much, but in the protracted fight for nomination no contest has been ignored.
Both candidates are running television and radio ads on the island, a U.S. territory since 1898, and they have each called in to radio stations to hammer home their case.
Clinton has reminded voters about her multiple visits to Guam during stopovers on presidential trips with her husband to Asia, and Obama has emphasized his Pacific connections through his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia.
Some islanders, thrilled to finally be in the limelight, have hastily joined the party just so they can take part in the process, leading to the moniker "Democrat for a Day".
"A lot of people were confused by the process. I do see a lot of Democrats that vote, but have not got involved in the primary before," said Robert Lizama, a local mayor.
"It's brought a lot of awareness and participation. I think that's important. We can't vote for president, but this is our part of the process."
Over 4,000 people are expected to vote in the contest, a huge jump from the 1,500 who voted in the last Democratic primary in 2004, and results are expected by about 1600 GMT (12 p.m. EST).
The territory, which goes by the slogan, "Where America's Day Begins", will also send five superdelegates to the Democratic convention.
(Editing by Carmel Crimmins and John Chalmers)
