President Joe Biden said Thursday that his pledged delegates could vote their conscience — and he’s right, party rules say they can do just that. But historical precedent, as well as the delegate selection process, make it likely that the vast majority will stick with him anyway. Biden said during his NATO press conference that delegates are “free to do whatever they want” at the Democratic National Convention, including nominate a different candidate. Shortly after, he mock-whispered into the microphone, “It’s not going to happen.”
Quick Read
- Biden says delegates can vote their conscience — and he’s right. But mass defections remain unlikely
- President Joe Biden stated Thursday that his pledged delegates are free to vote their conscience at the Democratic National Convention, aligning with party rules.
- While DNC rules do allow for “good conscience” to drive delegate decisions, historical precedent and the delegate selection process suggest that the vast majority will likely remain loyal to Biden.
- Biden acknowledged this flexibility during a NATO press conference, confidently adding, “It’s not going to happen.”
- Democratic rules encourage but don’t require delegates to vote for their pledged candidate, leaving them bound only by their consciences.
- The vetting process for delegates ensures they are filled by loyal supporters, making mass defections unprecedented.
- Delegates like Adam Peters from Iowa and Louisiana’s Brenda Ann Palmer expressed their continued support for Biden, appreciating his trust in their decisions.
- Massachusetts delegate Mary Richards echoed similar sentiments, interpreting Biden’s remarks as a reinforcement of their autonomy.
- Automatic delegates, or “superdelegates,” who include Democratic members of Congress and other high-profile leaders, are fewer in number and have limited power in deciding the nominee in competitive primaries.
- Post-2016 DNC rule changes restrict superdelegates from voting in the first round of voting unless a candidate has secured a majority.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden says delegates can vote their conscience. But mass defections remain unlikely
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden said Thursday that his pledged delegates could vote their conscience — and he’s right, party rules say they can do just that. But historical precedent, as well as the delegate selection process, make it likely that the vast majority will stick with him anyway.
Biden said during his NATO press conference that delegates are “free to do whatever they want” at the Democratic National Convention, including nominate a different candidate. Shortly after, he mock-whispered into the microphone, “It’s not going to happen.”
On both counts, Biden’s assessment is likely accurate: DNC rules do technically leave room for “good conscience” to drive delegate decisions, yet they rarely abandon their pledged candidate. The vetting process for delegates also makes it unlikely that many would break from Biden unless he dropped out.
“I didn’t take that to be like, ’Oh, I’m letting the delegates decide someone else,” said Adam Peters, a 36-year-old Democratic delegate from Iowa who’s sticking with his pledge to support Biden. “I think he was just insinuating that if folks are so concerned, we’ll see what happens on the floor — but at the end of the day he’s the nominee.”
At least 3,896 delegates are pledged to Biden, after he swept nearly every primary contest. But that “pledge” isn’t an ironclad agreement. DNC rules encourage but don’t specifically require delegates to vote for the candidate they’re pledged to support. Instead, the rules say, “All delegates to the National Convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”
In other words, delegates Biden won during the primary season are bound only by their consciences to actually cast their votes for Biden when it comes time to select a nominee, although mass defections would be unprecedented. Democratic party rules also allow Democratic candidates to review and alter each state’s slate of delegates pledged to them, ensuring that they are filled by loyal supporters.
Louisiana delegate Brenda Ann Palmer, a retired school board employee, said that she liked Biden’s response to the question about delegates. “He wants us to be with him, and he wants us to vote our conscience, and he’s not going to tell us we have to vote for him,” Palmer said, adding, “I haven’t changed my mind, I want him to be the nominee.”
Massachusetts delegate Mary Richards, who’s also still supporting Biden, echoed that sentiment. “I interpreted it as, we can make our own decisions,” she said. There’s another group of delegates who may be less loyal, though there are fewer of them and party rules limit the power they have in deciding a nominee. Automatic delegates — or “superdelegates” — are not pledged to a candidate, and include Democratic members of Congress and other high-profile Democratic leaders.
After the 2016 primary, the DNC scaled back the role of automatic delegates so that in competitive primaries, they generally cannot vote in the first round of voting. Rather, the first round is reserved for the pledged delegates — though superdelegates may be able to vote in the first round if a candidate “has been certified by the DNC Secretary” to have obtained a majority.
