[Darla_G]

hope this helps

"Superdelegate" is an informal term for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the quadrennial convention of the United States Democratic Party.
Unlike most convention delegates, the superdelegates are not selected based on the party primary primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state. Instead, the superdelegates are seated automatically, based solely on their status as current or former elected officeholders and party officials. They are free to support any candidate for the nomination.
The Democratic Party rules do not use the term "superdelegate". The formal designation (in Rule 9.A) is "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates".[1] In addition to these unpledged "PLEO" delegates, the state parties choose other unpledged delegates (Rule 9.B) and pledged PLEO delegates (Rule 9.C).[1] This article discusses only the unpledged PLEO delegates.
The Republican Party also seats some party officials as delegates without regard to primary or caucus results, but the term "superdelegate" is most commonly applied only in the Democratic Party.
At the 2008 Democratic National Convention the superdelegates will make up approximately one-fifth of the total number of delegates. The unforeseen and unprecedented closeness of the race between the leading contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama following Super Tuesday has focused attention on the potential role of the superdelegates in selecting the Democratic nominee, inasmuch as in the aggregate they could come to be kingmakers to a degree not seen in previous election cycles. [2] Such an outcome would result in the first brokered convention since 1952.

Types of superdelegates

The Democratic Party rules distinguish between pledged and unpledged delegates, with the selection of the former being based on their announced preferences in the contest for the presidential nomination. In the party primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state, voters express their preference among the contenders for the party’s nomination for President of the United States. Pledged delegates supporting each candidate are chosen in approximate ratio to their candidate’s share of the vote. In some states, the delegates so chosen are legally required to vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged, at least on the first ballot at the convention.

By contrast, the superdelegates, selected by virtue of their status as current or former elected officeholders and party officials, without regard to their presidential preferences, are all unpledged delegates. Many of them have chosen to announce endorsements, but they are not bound in any way. They may support any candidate they wish, including one who has dropped out of the presidential race. There are also "unpledged add-on delegates" selected under Rule 9.B and "pledged party leader and elected official delegates" selected under rule 9.C.

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other bits of info

• So basically SuperDelegates are free agents and can vote for whom they think is the best candidate at the Democratic Convention in Denver in June. They don't even have to look at how their state voted but can vote for the candidate that they think has the best chance of winning. The case Clinton is going to try and make is look how many major battleground states she won by 10 points or more (Pa, OH, NJ) This is the kind of stuff superdelegates pay attention to.
• There are scenarios where neither candidate will make the cutoff for having enough delegates to automatically be qualified. So a convention battle looks very possible.
• The Democrats have a much, much higher percentage of states that are not winner take all for delegates. Even yesterday in Pennsylvania where Clinton had a decisive victory over Obama she only gained 6 delegates on him.
• Florida is a big issue, none of the delegates that would have gone to Clinton are counted in the total because voting rules. Both Clinton and Obama have said Florida delegates should be seated. If Florida had been counted this race is a dead heat. (If you recall Florida was the sole reason George Bush Jr became president.) and Michigan is another story.

I think a lot of people are sick of it, but for the first time in many years everything matters, the primaries, the convention etc. at least on Dem side.

[love2482]

Thanks for posting that Darla!

[Darla_G]

u r welcome

[ColdDayInHell]

Thanks for that, Darla! The US presidential nomination process seems very confusing, complicated, long-drawn and expensive to me.

[Darla_G]

Originally Posted by ColdDayInHell

Thanks for that, Darla! The US presidential nomination process seems very confusing, complicated, long-drawn and expensive to me.

yes, yes, yes, yes