Unpledged delegates
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An unpledged delegate is a delegate to a political party's presidential nominating convention who is free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing. In this way, unpledged delegates are distinct from pledged delegates, who are bound to support a candidate to whom they are pledged. Unpledged delegates are sometimes referred to as "superdelegates."
Democratic Party unpledged delegates
Unpledged delegates, often called "superdelegates," are automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention. These delegates are not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate. Unpledged delegates include members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, or distinguished party leaders (such as former presidents or vice presidents).[1]
Republican Party unpledged delegates
Unpledged delegates to the Republican National Convention are commonly known as "unbound delegates." According to the Congressional Research Service:[2]
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Although the Republican Party designates as automatic delegates the three members of the Republican National Committee from each state ... During the 2012 election cycle, the media referred to the automatic RNC delegates to the convention as superdelegates as well. [3] |
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See also
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- Ballotpedia:Index of Terms
- Primary election
- Caucus
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS News, "What is a superdelegate?" February 25, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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