All politics are local...

...even national Presidential campaigns, at a certain level. That's why the local support of shoe leather activists is so important, and it's why the delegate selection process can be so unpredictable. Every state has its own ballot access rules, and every State Party writes it's own Delegate Selection Plan, within broad guidelines provided by the DNC.

While you can reasonably expect the major players to appear on all the significant ballots, there are likely to be some surprises along the path to a delegate majority. Here in Washington, as in Iowa, local Democrats pick delegates from among themselves at precinct caucuses. Anybody with ten friends in a room can find that they've become a Party Boss for a day.

Elsewhere, voters go to the polls and select slates of delegates that are committed to various campaigns. The composition of those slates can be as important as the positions of the campaign. Westchester, NY's Journal News takes an interesting look at how the Kerry campaign is looking for an edge in the New York primary.

"Howard Dean may have scored some of the presidential race's biggest endorsements," they report, "but John Kerry has signed up some of the region's top Democrats, including Westchester party boss George Latimer, to represent him at the Democratic National Convention next year."

"With petitioning under way for the state's March presidential primary, Kerry has assembled a slate of delegates that includes Latimer, state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson of Mount Vernon, Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner and several county lawmakers from the northern suburbs. Brenda Resnick Spano, the wife of Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, is listed as an alternate delegate."

Just as the encouragement of an active and informed neighbor can make a big difference in a caucus room, the appearance of a familiar and influential name can make a big difference on a primary ballot.

That's one of the reasons that primary polling is so wrong, so often.

We've still got some elections to hold before there's a real frontrunner. Stay tuned.