From near, far, the delegates descend on Hub

They poured into a crowded Logan International Airport and filled hotel lobbies in the Back Bay, Cambridge, and the Theater District: Kansans in polo shirts emblazoned with sunflowers, Oklahomans conspicuous in T-shirts proclaiming themselves "KerryOkies;" North Carolinians and Alabamians with deep southern drawls. They endured the chilly downpour and savored local delights some found exotic -- chowder, lobster, Downtown Crossing, and Faneuil Hall.

They are from a country fighting a war overseas and hoping to speed an economic recovery at home to a city beset by labor disputes and bracing for possible terrorism attacks. With their presidential nominee settled and their platform written, they have put aside their primary contest disputes and united under a common goal: replacing President Bush.

From as far as Japan and as nearby as Jamaica Plain, 4,353 delegates from the 50 states and beyond are descending on Boston this weekend for the four-day Democratic National Convention.

They arrive in the Cradle of Liberty for the parties and pageantry that accompany the quadrennial political rite of confirming the party's presidential candidate. But this convention, the first since the vote-counting controversy of the 2000 election, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the triumphs and tragedies of the Iraq war, has attracted newcomers to the political process, energized by pain or anger to get involved.

"I've never been involved with politics, but I've just had it, so in February I threw myself out of the house and went to the caucuses," said Carla Bryson, 57, a Verizon service representative from Portland, Maine, who campaigned hard for her delegate seat. "I put out a flier -- I took the money out of my retirement savings and did a mailing -- and I said why being a delegate was so important to me."

The delegates are roughly half women and half men, and 38 percent are ethnic minorities, according to the Democratic National Convention Committee. The largest delegation is from California, with 502 delegates; the smallest, from Guam, with 12. There are also 24 delegates from 12 countries representing Democrats who live abroad.

Many delegates are unknown. But others are key political players -- governors, members of Congress, mayors, legislators, local officials, and candidates for office. Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa is a delegate from Michigan, and former astronaut and senator John Glenn is from Ohio.

There are Kerrys and friends of the Kerrys. The presumptive nominee's brother, Cameron Kerry of Brookline, and his sister, Diana Kerry of Manchester, are both Massachusetts delegates.

Senator Hillary Clinton is a New York delegate, as is her husband, Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter is a delegate from Georgia, Al Gore from Tennessee and Walter Mondale from Minnesota. Two former House speakers are delegates: Jim Wright from Texas and Thomas Foley from Washington.

The delegates include a handful of stars from the media and entertainment worlds. TV talk show host Jerry Springer is a delegate from Ohio; former supermodel Elaine Mellencamp, wife of singer John Mellencamp, is a delegate from Indiana; and Art Alexakis, lead singer of Everclear, is a delegate from Oregon.

They are rich and poor. Susie Buffett, daughter of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, is a member of a key Democratic National Committee panel; Donita Loudner, a Native American from the nation's poorest county, is a South Dakota delegate.

Most are staying at business-class hotels in Boston and Cambridge, but the Montana delegation, seeking to save money for its members, will rough it in a dorm at Northeastern University, albeit quite a nice, apartment-style dorm.

Some arrive eager to attend parties and other political fun. Others are motivated by concern about terrorism and war.

Betty Haviland of Ames, Iowa, will serve as a first-time delegate in memory of her son, Tim, a computer programmer who was killed in his office on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Therese Hunkin, 52, a delegate from American Samoa, cites the war in Iraq, where her son, Daniel, and son-in-law, Mario Dumon Claytor, are serving in the military, as the catalyst for her involvement.

"The stupidest thing this nation has done in like a million years is go to war in Iraq," Hunkin said. "My baby is there and I'm furious."

Some newcomers are drawn by the messages of the unsuccessful candidates, particularly former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. Dean found great success using the Internet to reach younger voters and disaffected Democrats, especially people with liberal leanings who were moved by his strong criticism of the war in Iraq.

Dani Diaz, 18, the daughter of two Republicans, is a recent high school graduate from Idaho. She plans to work as a hostess at a Red Lobster there after the convention. But first, she will serve as one of the youngest delegates at the convention -- drawn by her affinity for antwar candidate Dennis Kucinich.

"I liked the way he talked; he seemed very straightforward and direct," Diaz said. "Pretty liberal . . .closer to socialism than any of the other candidates, and I like that."

Some of the non-Kerry delegates are quietly unhappy that a candidate from the political establishment won out over more unusual voices.

Jed Burkett, a Kucinich delegate from Minnesota, said his concern is that Kerry "hasn't spoken out more strongly on the issues I care about most."

Federal and local public officials have been especially concerned about possible terrorism during the convention, which the US Department of Homeland Security has declared a "National Special Security Event." But dozens of delegates interviewed over the last two weeks said they were far more concerned about a disruption by organized labor.

"I'm not really worried about terrorism -- I could have a car accident, you know," said Bryson, the Maine delegate, who is the sister-in-law of Al Franken, the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member who now hosts a liberal talk show on Air America Radio. "The pickets are more of a concern. If they picket the hotel, where am I going to stay?"

Ray Peck, a 78-year-old World War II veteran from Montana, is a delegate, as is his grandson, 18-year-old John Kaleczyc.

"I'm not worried about the terrorists -- when you're 78 years old, you don't buy any green bananas anymore," Peck said. "And I'm looking forward to seeing Boston. In the Air Force, I flew over Boston, but that's it. And Boston is known as a great education city, and I'm a retired educator, so that has great interest."

Some say they are here to pursue particular policy agendas. Cattle rancher Dana Mann-Tavegia, a Democratic National Committee activist from Wyoming, wants American beef to carry a label indicating its country of origin -- a proposal she said the Bush administration has thwarted -- and she wants farmers to be able to collect more promptly on drought insurance.

Others said they are here to have fun, to meet other Democrats, go to parties, and see Boston.

"We're going to a city that has, within its city limits, more people than our entire state, so it's a bit awesome for us," said Mike Gierau, chairman of the Wyoming delegation, who owns and operates Jedediah's Original House of Sourdough, a pancake house for skiers, in Jackson.

Andrew Dier, a gay rights activist in Bogota, said he was considering fitting in a wedding to his partner, Virgilio Barco, while in Boston, the capital of the only state where same-sex marriage is legal. But Dier said he is worried the state won't let him marry because he's not a resident.

"We both want to have the same exact rights as every other couple in America, something that can only be achieved through marriage rights, but we want to do this right," he said.

Some have come to Boston with their thoughts set on the future.

"It's been my goal since kindergarten, and it's still my goal, to be president," said Jason Rae, 17, of Rice Lake, Wis., who is too young to vote but is coming as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Rae said he is hoping to find time during the convention to visit President Kennedy's birthplace in Brookline, because he remembers writing about the birthplace for a fourth-grade paper.

"Some day, I want to be on stage giving a speech myself," he said.

Jenn Abelson and Maria Cramer of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Michael Levenson contributed to this report. Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.; Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at schweitzer@globe.com.