The Politics of Convention Seating

A lot can be learned about a political party's campaign strategy by studying the seating chart for its national convention.

Take, for instance, the '08 Democratic Convention taking place this week in Denver. Today, the New York Times published the Democratic Convention Seating Chart... and the political tea leaves couldn't be clearer.

Two main factors decided if a state delegation was seated on the Pepsi Center hall floor, the very best seats, rather than in the balconies, the nose-bleed balconies, or worse, in the balcony wings:

• If a state is considered battleground territory that can be won by Democrats, but only with considerable effort, or

• If a state is the home to a top candidate or Democratic party official.

The state with the most coveted, front-and-center spot? Illinois, of course... the home state of presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The Delaware delegation, which had been relegated to nose-bleed balcony space, was moved to the front row after native son Joe Biden was selected to be Obama's running mate. And DNC Chair Howard Dean's fellow Vermonters also garnered front row seating, albeit in a wing.

A roster of the other state delegations awarded prime convention hall geography reads like a who's who of 2008 battleground states:

• Michigan
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Florida
• Indiana
• Colorado
• Montana
• North Dakota

The choicest center-balcony locations were assigned to battleground state Ohio, which is leaning red, and to blue-state New York, home of 2008 presidential contender Hillary Clinton.

The next choicest balcony seats went to reliably blue states Massachusetts, New Jersey and California, which alone comprises more than 10% of delegates to the Democratic Convention. Blue states Washington and Minnesota were given favorable balcony positions, as well.

Which states were doled the dreaded lower, extreme-wing balocny locations? Fire-engine red states Utah, West Virginia, South Dakota, Mississippi and Kentucky.

While we wait for Day Two of the '08 Democratic Convention to gavel to order, have fun comtemplating the politics of convention seating in Denver.