Editing Superdelegate (section)

=== Criticism and defenses===
The votes of superdelegates have never actually determined the Democratic nominee,<ref>Zachary Roth, [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/superdelegates-don-t-determine-democratic-nominee-n587386 Superdelegates Don't Determine the Democratic Nominee], NBC News (June 6, 2016): "Superdelegates have never determined the nominee, and they're unlikely ever to do so."</ref><ref>Astead W. Herndon, [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/us/politics/superdelegates-democrats-dnc.html Democrats Overhaul Controversial Superdelegate System], ''New York Times'' (August 25, 2018): "superdelegates have never before overturned the will of Democratic voters in the presidential primary"</ref> although in 1984 they may have helped Walter Mondale win on the first ballot at the convention.{{efn|The [[1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries]] ended with [[Walter Mondale]] winning a plurality of delegates, leading the Senator [[Gary Hart]] in the count of elected delegates, with [[Jesse Jackson]] far behind. It was unclear whether Mondale had secured the absolute majority of 1,967 delegates to clinch the nomination, despite Hart's victory in California. Some press reports suggested that Mondale had clinched the nomination, but the [[Associated Press]] reported that he was "barely short of" a majority. Mondale made dozens of phone calls to superdelegates, securing the pledges of 40 of them, thus placing his status as the [[presumptive nominee]] beyond doubt. Experts differ on whether superdelegates were "decisive" to Mondale's nomination on the first ballot at the [[1984 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>Amy Sherman, [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/22/debbie-wasserman-schultz/debbie-wasserman-schultz-says-superdelegates-never Superdelegates "have never been a determining factor in who our nominee is since they've been in place since 1984."], ''Politifact'' (March 22, 2016).</ref>}}
 
====Critics====
Critics have assailed superdelegates' role in Democratic National Conventions both before and after the 2017 reforms. [[Susan Estrich]] argued in 2008 that superdelegates have more power than other delegates because of their greater freedom to vote as they wish beginning with the first ballot. (Superdelegates' ability to vote on the first ballot was eliminated after the 2017 reform.)<ref name="Karmack">{{Cite news| last = Karmack| first = Elaine| title = A History of 'Super-Delegates' in the Democratic Party|publisher=[[Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs]], [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]]| date = February 14, 2008| url = https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/history-super-delegates-democratic-party}}</ref> U.S. Senator [[Tim Kaine]], Hillary Clinton's former running mate, said in 2017 that he agreed with [[Bernie Sanders]] that  superdelegates should be eliminated from the process: "I have long believed there should be no superdelegates. These positions are given undue influence in the popular nominating contest and make the process less democratic."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/360587-tim-kaine-sides-with-sanders-calls-for-eliminating-superdelegates/|title=Kaine sides with Sanders, calls for eliminating superdelegates |last=Delk |first=Josh |date=November 15, 2017 |website=The Hill}}</ref> Prominent Democratic strategists [[Bob Shrum]] and Bill Carrick have also opposed superdelegates, and called for them to be dropped from the nominating process.<ref name=Roller/>

The role of superdelegates in the nominating process has also been criticized as unrepresentative. In 2007, ''[[Politico]]'' found that about half of the superdelegates were white men, compared to 28% of the Democratic primary electorate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2008/02/white-men-hold-superdelegate-power-balance-008535 |title=White men hold superdelegate power balance|first=Josephine |last=Hearn |work=Politico |date=February 15, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2009}}</ref> Of the superdelegates at the 2016 Convention, 58% were male and 62% were non-Hispanic white (20% were black and 11% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]). The average age was about 60.<ref name="WhoAre"/> There is no bar on [[Lobbying in the United States|lobbyists]] serving as DNC members (and thus superdelegates); ABC News found that about 9% of superdelegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention (67 people in all) were former or current lobbyists registered on the federal and state level.<ref>Jeff Naft, [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/reason-dozens-lobbyists-democratic-presidential-delegates/story?id=37289507 The Reason Why Dozens of Lobbyists Will Be Democratic Presidential Delegates], ABC News (February 29, 2016).</ref>

====Defenders====
Author [[Jonathan Rauch]] and political scientist Ray La Raja argued in 2019 that the U.S. has given too much power to primary voters, and that this inflicts harms to democracy. They argue that "the role of superdelegates in the Democratic nomination process could be strengthened instead of weakened" and that this form of early vetting was positive, suggesting that this formal form of the "[[invisible primary]]" can be a positive force to counter-balance [[populism]] "by restoring the [[James Madison|Madisonian]] pillars of pluralism, checks on power, and deliberative institutions."<ref>Jonathan Rauch and Ray La Raja, [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-democracy/600766/ Too Much Democracy Is Bad for Democracy], ''The Atlantic'' (December 2019).</ref>

In February 2016, U.S. Representative [[Debbie Wasserman Schultz]], chair of the [[Democratic National Committee]], defended the role of superdelegates in an interview with [[Jake Tapper]], arguing that unpledged delegates ensure "that party leaders and elected officials don't have to be in a position where they are running against grass-roots activists" and minimizes competition between the two groups.<ref>Callum Borchers, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/12/we-need-more-questions-like-this-one-from-jake-tapper-to-debbie-wasserman-schultz-video/ "We need more questions like this one from Jake Tapper to Debbie Wasserman Schultz"], ''The Washington Post'' (February 12, 2016).</ref>