Comments on: Delegate hunting

Question: Delegate hunting

brandz — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:51:32 -0800

what will happen to the 26 delegates won by john edwards? he also won some unseated delegates in florida (maybe 13 or so). does he get to give those delegates to whomever he wants, presumably obama or clinton?

By: youcancallmeal

youcancallmeal — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:11:08 -0800

yeah, typically whoever he chooses to back will get the delegates.

By: Dasein

Dasein — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:34:54 -0800

Those delegates can vote for whomever they want. They're not bound by an endorsement.

By: pwb503

pwb503 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:48:20 -0800

As I understood it, if Edwards or someone wins delegates, they actually get to pick who acts as those delegates. Knowing he wasn't going to win the election, or at least worrying he might not win, he picked delegates that are loyal to him. He didn't pick delegates that will waste their vote ON him, he picked delegates that are loyal to his endorsement so that he can leverage that power. They are free to vote as delegates for whomever they want, but he gave them the power they have.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:22:11 -0800

They go to the convention with a signed pledge of support, but there is nothing requiring them to vote that way. (Obviously, because in the case of multiple ballots candidates would theoretically be dropping out.) In fact, if we get to the convention with a razor-thin margin, there will be a lot of horse-trading going on.

To some degree this is complicated by state party rules, which vary within a set of principles set up by the DNC. For various reasons, but mostly a 15% threshold, his Iowa delegates may no longer exist. As long as he remains "suspended", though, he gets to keep his SC and NH delegates, totalling 12.

In practical terms, though, there is little likelihood that any delegates will want to go against the popular vote. That includes superdelegates, Edwards, and those pledged to Edwards. A number of superdelegates have already switched.

Slate wrote about what happened to Clark's delegates in 2004.

By: j1950

j1950 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:52:24 -0800

Technically, pledged delegates are under no obligation to do anything, as Hillary Clinton reminded America recently. Most likely, they will support whomever Edwards chooses to support. If he doesn't endorse, they will probably support Edwards on the first ballot (folks chosen as delegates tend to be diehards), then spend the rest of the convention being wined, dined, and convinced to cast their votes for Obama/Clinton on subsequent ballots.

In 1924, it took 100-something ballots to secure the Democratic nomination, but that was because of disagreements over Prohibition. They've changed the rules, so I doubt it even gets to a second ballot this year.