Delegates

Delegates from the major political parties participate in the selection of nominees to serve as their party’s candidate for President of the United States.

The Democratic party has pledged delegates and superdelegates. Pledged delegates are elected or chosen at the state or local level, with the understanding that they will support a particular candidate at the convention. Of the 4,049 total Democratic delegates, there are currently 3,253 pledged delegates and 796 superdelegates. Superdelegates are usually members of Congress, governors, former Presidents, and other party leaders. They are not required to indicate preference for a candidate. To become the party’s presidential nominee, a candidate must win a simple majority, or 2,025, of combined delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention.

The Democratic Party uses proportional representation to determine how many delegates each candidate is awarded in each state. For example, a candidate who wins 70% of a state’s vote in a primary election will win 70% of that state’s delegates. There is no process to win superdelegates, since they can vote for whomever they please. A candidate needs to win a simple majority of 2,025 total delegates to earn the Democratic nomination.

The Republican Party has pledged and unpledged delegates. There are a total of 2,380 Republican delegates, of which 1,719 are pledged and elected at the state or local level. To earn the Republican Party’s nomination, a candidate must win a simple majority, or 1,191 of the total delegates.

A majority of the unpledged delegates are elected much like the pledged delegates, and are likely to be committed to a specific candidate. Other unpledged delegates receive their status by virtue of their position within the party. This group is known as unpledged RNC member delegates and they are free to vote for any candidate. The process by which Republican delegates are awarded to a candidate varies from state to state. Many states use a winner-take-all system, where popular vote determines the winning candidate for that state, while others use proportional representation.