Background

The superdelegate group typically consists of unpledged party and elected officials and "add-ons". Party and elected officials is confirmed on March 1 by the Democratic National Committee. These leaders are:

1. Members of Congress
2. Democratic governors
3. Former party leaders (former DNC chairs, former leaders of the House and Senate, including when the Democratic party is in the minority)
4. Former elected leaders including presidents and vice presidents, and
5. Members of the Democratic National Committee.

Superdelegates also include what are termed "unpledged add-ons" - that is, delegates chosen by state party leaders after a state's primary or caucus. Add-ons can be added to the state's delegation for a variety of reasons and often used to address affirmative action goals of the DNC.

The total number of superdelegates to cast votes at the convention-- 796-- does not include any superdelegates from Michigan or Florida. Both states were stripped of their respective delegates as penalty for holding their primaries earlier than allowed. If its delegates would have counted, Florida would have had a total of 210 delegates, including 25 superdelegates, and Michigan would have had 156 delegates, including 28 superdelegates.

Superdelegates were added to the party nomination process in the early 1980s to ensure the party leadership had some control over the nomination. The Democratic nomination process entered a period of transition in 1968 when Hubert Humphrey won the nomination without winning any primaries by securing delegate votes rather than the support of the public. The next few presidential elections led to the Democratic nomination of McGovern and Jimmy Carter, two dark horse candidates. In response to this, the party leadership sought to reassert itself in the nomination process, ultimately creating the group of "superdelegates", a term finalized in 1982, that represented the party leadership and had enough delegate votes to impact on the nomination.

Superdelegate Endorsements

Because the Democratic nomination requires a candidate to secure 2,025 delegates at the convention, this group is considered a valuable way to take an early lead or off-set loses in the primary. While not all delegates announce who they will be voting for before the convention, it is not uncommon for superdelegates to announce their intentions through endorsements. These are, however, very soft delegate votes, for the superdelegate is able to change his or her mind up until the very last second.

Current superdelegate endorsements can be tracked on the Democratic Superdelegate Endorsements page.

The Obama Superdelegate Endorsement Count (as of 4/29)

240

The Clinton Superdelegate Endorsement Count (as of 4/29)

266

Structure

Recent Developments

Accomplishments

Criticism

Additional Information