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What is a superdelegate?
Officially called “unpledged delegates,” the 794 superdelegates around the country include elected officials, such as governors, members of Congress, former presidents and vice presidents, as well as members of the Democratic National Committee, state party members and unelected officials — people with longtime service to the party.
Superdelegates are distinct from pledged delegates, who are individuals elected in their local communities and pledge to support a particular candidate during their state primary or caucus. Superdelegates account for 20% of the total delegate count, and pledged delegates make up 80%. Together, their votes — more than 4,000 — will likely determine the Democratic presidential nominee.
The Democratic Party devised the superdelegate system in the early 1980s after a decade of proposed reforms were devised to ensure support for the type of candidate who was perceived could win the presidential election. The Republican Party also has superdelegates — three from each state — but with Sen. John McCain as the presumptive nominee, their vote is not an issue.
In Democratic circles, “Superdelegates for the most part are people whose whole lives revolve around the Democratic Party,” said South Carolina superdelegate Carol Fowler.
The system, she said, was designed to bring elected officials back into the process of presidential politics.
“They were not participating in the nominating process, partly because they didn’t want to run for delegate and take slots from their constituents,” she said.
Her husband, Don Fowler, who is also a superdelegate, calls superdelegates a stabilizing force.
They are people “that will be able to judge effectively, based on their experience in party affairs. It’s good to have people who are used to dealing with sensitive political matters,” he said, “and who know the procedures and who are accustomed to looking at the long-term benefit of the party.”
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