Election News and Features
Superdelegates Could Sway Party Nomination
by
findingDulcinea Staff
In the race for the Democratic nomination, superdelegates may prove the deciding factor at the party’s national convention.
30-Second Summary
Superdelegates are different from normal delegates in that they can decide for themselves which candidate to endorse for the nomination. Should they choose, they can ignore the popular vote.
Also called “unpledged delegates,” they are usually high-ranking party members, such as governors, campaign managers and members of Congress.
Because it is the number of delegates in a candidate’s camp—not the number of primaries or caucuses won—that determines who wins the nomination, superdelegates can carry a lot of weight at the party conference.
Newsmagazine The Nation draws parallels between this year’s contest and the race for the 1984 Democratic nomination. Although Gary Hart won six more state primaries and caucuses than opponent Walter Mondale, he lost to Mondale at the conference.
Mondale, vice president during the Carter administration, had the backing of 700 superdelegates.
According to The Nation, candidates who are “more established” have an easier time garnering support from superdelegates.
Out of the 300 superdelegates who have pledged to back a candidate, about two-thirds are voting for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in August, writes The Washington Post.
Also called “unpledged delegates,” they are usually high-ranking party members, such as governors, campaign managers and members of Congress.
Because it is the number of delegates in a candidate’s camp—not the number of primaries or caucuses won—that determines who wins the nomination, superdelegates can carry a lot of weight at the party conference.
Newsmagazine The Nation draws parallels between this year’s contest and the race for the 1984 Democratic nomination. Although Gary Hart won six more state primaries and caucuses than opponent Walter Mondale, he lost to Mondale at the conference.
Mondale, vice president during the Carter administration, had the backing of 700 superdelegates.
According to The Nation, candidates who are “more established” have an easier time garnering support from superdelegates.
Out of the 300 superdelegates who have pledged to back a candidate, about two-thirds are voting for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in August, writes The Washington Post.
Headline Link: ‘In Background, a Battle for Superdelegates’
Superdelegates are set to play a major role in the outcome of this year’s race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The party’s 796 superdelegates are typically past managers of high-profile candidates, governors and Congress members. The Washington Post says that some two-thirds of the 300 superdelegates who have already chosen their candidate are in the Clinton camp.
Source: The Washington Post
Background: Superdelegates
At the end of the primaries, it is the number of delegates a candidate has collected, not the popular vote, that decides who becomes the party nominee. NPR considers the democratic implications of the superdelegates’ ability to decide independently which candidate to support.
Source: NPR
Opinion & Analysis: ‘Not So Superdelegates’
The Nation says that this year’s bid for the Democratic nomination is the tightest since 1984, when superdelegates clinched Walter Mondale’s victory over Gary Hart. Mondale, vice president under Jimmy Carter, won the backing of 700 superdelegates, despite Hart’s victories in 16 state primaries and caucuses over Mondale’s 10. Candidates who are “part of the political establishment,” as was Mondale in 1984 and Hillary Clinton is today, tend to fare better in getting the support of superdelegates.
Source: The Nation
Reference: ‘2008 Primary Delegate Count’
Real Clear Politics has a page dedicated to the delegate counts of the different candidates.
Source: Real Clear Politics
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