North County residents may see some familiar faces in the crowd while watching the Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday in Denver.

Among the more than 4,000 delegates on the floor will be 441 California representatives -- wide-eyed newcomers, grizzled convention veterans, party leaders, political leaders and former candidates.

Mixed in with the Californians will be Francine Busby of Cardiff, a one-time challenger to Rep. Brian Bilbray. Busby is attending her first convention as a delegate.

Carla Mays of Carlsbad also will be attending her first convention. She will be accompanying a contingent of veterans she hopes will help shape her party's understanding of the needs of military families.

Thor Emblem of Escondido will be attending his third convention as a delegate and will be casting his vote for Hillary Clinton with a long-shot hope of an upset coming from the floor.

"Many of us are thinking how exciting it would be for her to bust out," he said about the roll-call vote between Clinton and presumptive party choice Barack Obama.

Scripted events

But despite all the excitement, speeches, balloon drops and media attention, the veteran delegate knows conventions are largely scripted events with predictable outcomes.

Yes, Warren Harding was named the Republican candidate in a backroom vote to end a deadlocked 1920 convention, and John Davis did get the 1924 Democratic nomination after 103 ballots.

But modern conventions are more coronations than elections, with the number of delegates needed for a nomination known weeks before.

So what is the purpose of a convention, other than to complete the formality of a party's selection process?

For Mays, 33, the convention is a way of reminding her party about military families.

"If you're representing San Diego, you're representing the military," Mays said.

She helped raise travel funds for a group of 15 people, including veterans, their spouses, reservists and dependents.

"We have to make sure Senator Obama has the best information possible," she said about the military delegation she organized.

Mays said she does not know how much influence she will have at the convention, but the group she is bringing will participate in a veterans caucus that will help shape the party's platform.

She also said she is working at getting the group to appear onstage with Obama.

Hometown reps

Like most others at the convention, Mays was elected as a delegate during a caucus within her congressional district. Caucuses in each state elected delegates for either Obama or Clinton based on a formula that reflects how that state voted during the primary elections.

As an Obama delegate, Mays is pledged to vote for the senator from Illinois, while so-called superdelegates, who include high-ranking party members automatically chosen as delegates, are not pledged to either candidate.

Those potential wild cards could tip the vote toward Clinton, said Emblem, a delegate for the New York senator.

But while he is doubtful Clinton will get the nomination, Emblem said he is hoping for a close roll-call vote because it would advance women's rights and health care, two core issues in her campaign. He also hopes Clinton delegates will have some influence in the party by writing about those issues in online blogs read by all delegates and party members.

"You're just a voice in the wind, but if you get enough of them going, then it's a howl and a roar," he said.

Emblem said he will be traveling with his wife, Tracy, a delegate alternative. The Democratic Party made reservations at the Sheraton Hotel for California delegates, but did not pick up the tab for the rooms. Emblem said he will spend $205 a day for the stay. The trip should cost about $3,000 for the two of them, he said.

The Democratic Party is paying for breakfasts during the week, as each delegate must attend an orientation meeting each morning. The party also is picking up the tab for fare between the hotel and the Pepsi Center, where the convention will be held.

While delegates' only official duty is to cast a vote for their candidate, Emblem said they often are interviewed by the national media, so they often serve as unofficial representatives of their hometowns.

As for advice to new delegates, the two-convention veteran said people should try to attend every function they can get into.

"You're going to meet people who you'll never meet in any other place," he said, recalling how he ran into Willie Nelson and Rob Reiner at past conventions.

"I took my daughter to the convention in L.A., and she spent the afternoon in the VIP room with the Kennedys," Emblem said. "She thought that was pretty awesome."

Invitations galore

Busby, a Clinton delegate, said she is sorting through a number of invitations she has received in the weeks leading up to the convention and trying to decide what to attend. A gathering with the group Friends of New Orleans, a Celebration of the Fair Housing Act, a Salute to American Veterans and an event called "Unconventional Women" are just a few of Busby's social choices.

"I have invitations here for everything, from every day to the evening," she said, flipping through her mail. "(Sen. Barbara) Boxer, (Sen. Dianne) Feinstein, women's groups, labor, veterans groups, Democracy for America …"

Having never attended a national party convention before, Busby said she is not sure what to expect or what kind of influence she can have on the proceedings.

"The most important thing to me is to really send a loud and clear measure that this country has been on the wrong track and we're paying a high price," she said, adding that the economy and foreign policy are among the most important issues.

A political newbie

Rachel Rott, a 33-year-old Obama delegate from Vista, is still reeling at the idea of being a delegate just three years after becoming involved in politics.

"Hurricane Katrina was pivotal to me," the mother of a 4-year-old daughter said. "Seeing other families on the news in horrible situations and seeing our own government not there to help, I felt I had to do more."

Rott said others have asked her to talk about the environment and getting out of Iraq in a responsible way at the convention. But as a first-time delegate, Rott said she is not sure what to expect.

"We get to cast our vote, but whether or not we can create a major change, probably not," she said. "But this is more of an opportunity for us as local grass-roots organizations, which I think describes most delegates.

"We're the people in our communities trying to build things up from the ground level. That's what matters to me. We need to bring it back to a party that stands for the people again."

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.