Editing Superdelegate (section)

===Description of superdelegates===
Of all the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, slightly under 15% are superdelegates.<ref name="WhoAre">Drew DeSilver, [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/05/05/who-are-the-democratic-superdelegates/ Who are the Democratic superdelegates?], [[Pew Research Center]] (May 5, 2016).</ref> According to the [[Pew Research Center]], superdelegates are "the embodiment of the institutional Democratic Party – everyone from former presidents, congressional leaders and big-money fundraisers to mayors, labor leaders and longtime local party functionaries."<ref name="WhoAre"/> Democratic superdelegates are formally described (in Rule 9.A) as automatic (or unpledged) '''party leader and elected official''' ('''PLEO''') delegates; each falls into one or more of the following categories based on other positions they hold:<ref>{{cite web|url= http://demrulz.org/wp-content/files/12.15.14_2016_Delegate_Selection_Documents_Mailing_-_Rules_Call_Regs_Model_Plan_Checklist_12.15.14.pdf |title=Delegate Selection Materials For the 2016 Democratic National Convention |date=December 15, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2016}}</ref><ref name=2020Rules>{{cite web|title=Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention|url=https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2020-Delegate-Selection-Rules-12.17.18-FINAL.pdf|publisher=Democratic National Committee|date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 

# Elected members of the [[Democratic National Committee]].<ref name=2020Rules/> Elected DNC members include "the chairs and vice chairs of each state and territorial Democratic Party; 212 national committeemen and committeewomen elected to represent their states; top officials of the DNC itself and several of its auxiliary groups (such as the Democratic Attorneys General Association, the [[National Federation of Democratic Women]] and the [[Young Democrats of America]]); and 75 at-large members who are nominated by the party chairman and chosen by the full DNC."<ref name="WhoAre"/> Most at-large DNC members "are local party leaders, officeholders and donors or representatives of important Democratic constituencies, such as [[organized labor]]."<ref name="WhoAre"/> At the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]], there were 437 DNC members (with 433 votes) who were superdelegates.<ref name="WhoAre"/>
# Democratic governors (including territorial governors and the [[mayor of the District of Columbia]]).<ref name=2020Rules/><ref name="WhoAre"/> There were 21 Democratic governors who were superdelegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.<ref name="WhoAre"/>
# Democratic members of [[United States Congress|Congress]].<ref name=2020Rules/> There were 191 U.S. representatives (including [[Non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives|non-voting delegates]] from [[Washington, D.C.]], and territories) and 47 U.S. senators (including [[Shadow congressperson|Washington, D.C., shadow senators]]) who were superdelegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.<ref name="WhoAre"/>
# Any sitting Democratic president or vice president, if applicable.<ref name=2020Rules/> 
# Distinguished party leaders: consisting of all former Democratic presidents, vice presidents, congressional leaders (Democratic speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic minority leaders of the House, and Democratic leaders of the Senate, and DNC chairs).<ref name=2020Rules/><ref name="WhoAre"/> There were 20 of these who were superdelegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.<ref name="WhoAre"/>

Because the number of superdelegates depends on the number of Democratic members of Congress and Democratic governors, the exact number of superdelegates may change during the primary season (ahead of the convention) due to officials' deaths, resignations, or [[special election]]s.<ref>{{Cite news| title = With Spitzer out, number of Democratic superdelegates drops by 1| newspaper = [[The Dallas Morning News]]| date = March 18, 2008| url = http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-delegates_18pol.ART.State.Edition1.460b9ea.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080508220825/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-delegates_18pol.ART.State.Edition1.460b9ea.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2008-05-08}}</ref><ref>Ken Rudin, [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89292254 Superdelegates Primer: What You Need to Know], NPR (April 14, 2008).</ref> 

Not all superdelegates attend the convention.<ref name=DavidsonBernick>Lee Davidson and Bob Bernick Jr., [https://www.deseret.com/2008/7/26/20266067/superdelegate-matheson-to-skip-demo-convention Superdelegate Matheson to skip Demo convention], Deseret News (July 26, 2008).</ref> For example, during his time in Congress, Democratic U.S. Representative [[Jim Matheson]] skipped every convention.<ref name=DavidsonBernick/><ref>[https://www.deseret.com/2004/7/17/19840650/matheson-to-skip-boston-convention Matheson to skip Boston convention], ''Deseret News'' (July 17, 2004).</ref> Former Vice President [[Al Gore]] skipped the 2016 Convention.<ref>Joey Garrison, [https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2016/07/24/al-gore-skip-democratic-national-convention/87512310/ Al Gore to skip Democratic National Convention], ''Tennessean'' (July 24, 2016).</ref>

====State residency====
Under party rules, automatic delegates shall "legally reside in their respective state and ... shall be recognized as part of their state's delegation" (Rule 9.E).<ref name=2020Rules/> For example, in the [[2008 Democratic National Convention|2008 convention]], former Maine Governor [[Kenneth M. Curtis]] was a superdelegate (by virtue of his position as a past DNC chair), but because he had moved to Florida in 2006, he was counted as part of the Florida delegation, not the Maine delegation.<ref name=Ambinder>Marc Ambinder, [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2008/03/two-superdelegates-in-maine-may-change-the-math/52143/ Two Superdelegates In Maine May Change The Math], ''The Atlantic'' (March 3, 2008).</ref><ref>Fredreka Schouten, [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4569350&page=1 'Super delegate' tally remains slippery], ''USA Today'' (2008).</ref><ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2008/03/09/empty-chair-attack-is-having-an-effect/ Empty Chair Attack Is Having an Effect], ''Tampa Bay Times'' (March 9, 2008).</ref>

====Loss of superdelegate status====
Additionally, under party rules, automatic delegates are automatically disqualified if they have "publicly expressed support for the election of, or has endorsed, a presidential candidate of another political party" (Rule 9.E) and no delegate "shall participate or vote in the nominating process for a Democratic presidential candidate who also participates in the nominating processes of any other party for the corresponding elections" (Rule 2.E).<ref name=2020Rules/>  Thus, a person who would otherwise qualify as a superdelegate loses his or her superdelegate status by endorsing another party's presidential candidate. In 2008, Senator [[Joe Lieberman]] of [[Connecticut]] endorsed Republican [[John McCain]], which, according to the chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party, resulted in his disqualification as a superdelegate.<ref>{{cite web| last = Pazniokas| first = Mark | title =Lieberman No Longer a Super Delegate|newspaper=Hartford Courant| date = February 6, 2008| url = http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/02/lieberman-no-lo.html| archive-url = https://archive.today/20080208045825/http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/02/lieberman-no-lo.html| archive-date = February 8, 2008| access-date =February 7, 2008 }}</ref> Lieberman's status had, however, previously been questioned because, although he was a registered Democratic voter and caucused with the Democrats, he won re-election as the candidate of the [[Connecticut for Lieberman]] Party and was listed as an "[[Independent Democrat]]" on the ballot.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/02/obama-leads-cli.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210084217/http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/02/obama-leads-cli.html|archive-date=February 10, 2008|title=CAPITOL WATCH: Obama leads Clinton, 6-1, Among CT Superdelegates|newspaper=Hartford Courant|first=Mark|last=Pazniokas|date=February 8, 2008|access-date=February 14, 2016}}</ref> Lieberman did not attend the Democratic Convention; he was instead a speaker at the Republican Convention.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bolton|first1=Alexander|title=Both party conventions snub Lieberman|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/121256-both-party-conventions-snub-lieberman/|access-date=March 27, 2016|date=July 31, 2012}}</ref>

==== Comparison with pledged delegates ====
The remaining 85% of delegates are pledged to a candidate and chosen in primaries and caucuses.<ref>[https://theweek.com/articles/615261/superdelegates-explained Superdelegates, explained], ''The Week'' (April 4, 2016).</ref> Unlike the Republican primary process (in which many states have a "winner-take-all" process, awarding all or most votes to the candidate who wins a plurality of the vote), Democrats follow a proportionality rule.<ref>[https://fairvote.org/press/grand_old_primaries/ Grand Old Primaries], FairVote.org (December 10, 2007).</ref> All candidates who received at least 15% of the vote are awarded delegates in proportion to their share of the vote.<ref name=Prokop>Andrew Prokop, [https://www.vox.com/2020/2/28/21153287/delegates-democratic-primary-2020-math How Democrats' delegate math actually works], ''Vox'' (March 2, 2020).</ref> Most pledged delegates are allotted based on candidates' proportions of the vote at the district level (these generally correspond to [[congressional district]]s, but in some states correspond to [[state senate]] districts or specially designated "delegate districts").<ref name=Prokop/><ref name=DelegateTypes>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna22477414 National convention delegate types], NBC News/Associated Press (January 3, 2008).</ref> Additional delegates (the "[[at-large]]" delegates) are awarded to candidates based on statewide results.<ref name=Prokop/><ref name=DelegateTypes/> Finally, there are pledged "party leader and elected official" (PLEO) delegates.<ref name=Prokop/><ref name=DelegateTypes/> These are large city mayors, state legislative leaders, and county party officials who are pledged to a certain candidate; like the statewide at-large delegates, pledged PLEO delegates are allocated proportionally to presidential candidates based on the statewide primary or caucus vote.<ref name=DelegateTypes/> The district, at-large, and PLEO delegates collectively constitute a state or territory's pledged delegation.<ref name=DelegateTypes/> 

Unlike superdelegates, who may support a candidate of their choice,<ref name=UpGrabs>{{cite news| last = Sinderbrand| first = Rebecca | title =Pledged delegates up for grabs, Clinton says|publisher=CNN| date = March 26, 2008| url = https://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/26/clinton.delegates/}}</ref> pledged delegates generally must support the candidate to whom they are pledged.<ref name=UpGrabs/> Since 1982, the party rules have stated that: "Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them."<ref name=UpGrabs/><ref name=2020Rules/> 

If a candidate who has earned pledged delegates drops out before the national convention, then that candidate's delegates who were elected at the district level are released from their obligation to the dropped-out candidate.<ref name=Montellaro>Zach Montellaro, [https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/04/bloomberg-buttigieg-klobuchar-dropouts-delegates-121442 Here's what happens to the 2020 dropouts' delegates], ''Politico'' (March 4, 2020).</ref><ref name=Zhouli>Li Zhouli, [https://www.vox.com/2020/3/6/21166863/what-happens-delegates-candidates-drop-out Here's what happens to delegates after their candidates drop out], ''Vox'' (March 6, 2020).</ref> Pledged delegates who are allocated at the district level to a candidate who subsequently drops out of the race become "free agents": they often support the candidate whom the dropped-out candidate endorses, but are not obligated to do so.<ref name=Montellaro/><ref name=Zhouli/> By contrast, statewide pledged delegates are usually proportionally reallocated to candidates still in the race at the time when the states formally elect their delegates: this typically takes place at a statewide convention held after the primary or caucus, but before the national convention in mid-summer.<ref name=Montellaro/><ref name=Zhouli/>

By contrast, many superdelegates choose to announce endorsements, but they are not bound to those preferences, and may support any candidate they wish, including a candidate who has dropped out of the presidential race.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Romney suspends presidential campaign |publisher= CNN| date = February 7, 2008|url=https://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/07/romney.campaign/index.htm }}</ref>