“Superdelegates”, or unpledged delegates, choose who they want to support at the national conventions in July, though most go along with the decisions made in their state’s primary. Bernie Sanders has brought important issues and energy to the campaign, but she believes Clinton “can put the most impressive face of America out there for the world to see”.
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Alabama’s Democratic Party has not officially endorsed any presidential candidate. The Republicans were so successful in winning the presidency in the early primary and caucus years (1968-1988), that the party didn’t need to create the same type of structure.
“The process is what the process is”, said Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Sanders who actually helped craft the superdelegate rules in the 1980s. Some state Republican parties, including Alabama, have three appointed delegates: the chair of the state Republican Party; the state’s female representative to the National Republican Committee; and the state’s male representative to the NRC.
Of the 717 superdelegates, who are free to support whomever they like, Clinton has already won commitments from more than half of them.
Alabama has 60 Democratic delegates up for grabs: 53 of those are pledged, meaning they will be allotted based on the statewide vote totals from the March 1 primary.
Superdelegates fall into three categories: high-ranking elected officials, such as Democratic members of Congress or governors; noted party members, such as former presidents or vice presidents; and some members of the Democratic National Committee. “I’ll be watching your vote”. “I’m not going to change a vote over threats”.
So far, Clinton is enjoying the overwhelming support among superdelegates, receiving votes from 453 superdelegates compared to Sanders’ 19.
Lacy Johnson, an IN superdelegate backing Clinton, meanwhile, said he had received a mix of messages, including one that he said threatened: “we will make you pay”.
“The way this has gone down, in my experience, has never happened before”, said.
That’s at least 67 lobbyists who will attend the convention as superdelegates.
More recently, Sanders’ backers have organized debate-watch parties, volunteer phone banks and other similar activities through social networking sites such as Facebook.
“There are 3,000 in my group who have been slamming these guys as politely and nicely as we can…basically saying, look this system is undemocratic”, Renquist said. His grassroots group is circulating petitions urging superdelegates to follow the will of voters.
It is possible Bernie Sanders could win more states and still lose ground to Hillary Clinton because of the superdelegates.
The Sanders campaign plans its own effort to win over superdelegates, possibly in April.
Party elitism is something that defeats democracy and the will of the people.
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Clinton’s campaign, meanwhile, started officially courting superdelegates months ago.
