At 21, superdelegate represents the 'next generation'

(CNN) -- Not too many kids tell their parents who to vote for when they're 5 years old or ask their fourth-grade teacher to watch the presidential inauguration. But what would you expect from a 21-year-old superdelegate?

Jason Rae went from being a U.S. Senate page to the youngest elected representative of the Democratic National Committee while he was in high school. He actually couldn't vote when he was first elected because he was six months shy of 18.

But he wanted to represent what he calls "America's next generation." So, he and his friends hand-painted posters with the slogan "A ray of hope for the future." It worked.

"When I first ran, I was just trying to get a message out there that young people needed to have a say at the table. In fact, I didn't even think that I was going to win," said Rae. Watch the CNN.com Live interview »

These days, he's relishing the fact he's being wooed by both sides for his coveted vote in the close Democratic race for the 2008 presidential nomination -- dining with Sen. Hillary Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, meeting with Sen. Barack Obama and chatting with the highest-profile politicians from across the country.

Rae is one of about 800 superdelegates, a group of governors, House members and other Democratic Party members or officials. With this year's race so close, the superdelegates, also known as "unpledged" delegates, will probably play a much larger role in determining the Democratic presidential candidate than in past elections. Meet the other superdelegates »

"It seems kind of surreal to me," said Rae, who is now a junior at Marquette University in Wisconsin. "It's not something I ever expected to happen to me, especially not at this age."

Rae has publicly pledged his support for Obama and plans to vote for him at the Democratic National Convention in August. E-mail to a friend