University student and Democratic National Convention delegate Matt Sonneborn will spend this week shaking hands with many upper-level Democratic policymakers as he joins approximately 4,300 other delegates in the presidential candidate nomination process.
Sonneborn, a third year, arrived in Boston at 1 a.m. yesterday morning, and later attended a breakfast with the New York delegation, including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer as well as former Clinton advisor James Carville.
Sonneborn particularly expressed enthusiasm about seeing Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama, a U.S. senatorial candidate and rising star in the Democratic Party, who was also in attendance at the breakfast.
"He has a great chance of taking the seat in Illinois -- he's articulate and genuine," Sonneborn said.
Sonneborn's own role as a delegate is exceptional.
"For a student to be a delegate they have to be incredibly involved in politics in the state; beyond involvement in his school, he has to also be involved in the community," said Colin Allen, program assistant for the University's Center for Politics.
Sonneborn said he expects the convention to focus on the economy and the conflict in Iraq and expressed his personal concerns about education and the possibility of a draft.
Delegates will select the Democratic presidential candidate through a series of delegation and caucus meetings during the convention. Though Sonneborn was selected as an Edwards delegate, Edwards is expected to ask delegates loyal to him to vote for his presidential running mate, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, instead. Kerry will become the official Democratic presidential candidate only after delegate votes are counted and he issues an acceptance speech Thursday evening.
At the convention, the Democratic Party will adopt its official four-year platform.
"What Matt is experiencing is different than what he would at an earlier convention," University Politics Prof. Paul Freedman said.
According to Freedman, this year's convention is focusing on "representing the candidate and campaign message in the best and most unified possible light."
Sonneborn said he believes he was selected as a delegate because of a prior internship with Schumer and his work on Edwards' 2004 campaign primary.
A politics and English double-major, Sonneborn is also politically active on Grounds, involved in the University Democrats and Wahoo Informational Service to the Electorate.
Sonneborn says he is open to a future career in domestic politics in Washington and possibly a run for public office.
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