Bernie Sanders Attracts More Superdelegates Before Democratic California Primary: Can He Beat Hillary Clinton?
From the archive: published Jun 3, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Bernie Sanders is now lagging considerably behind Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, with a good deal fewer pledged delegates than the former Secretary of State. However, Sanders has consistently come close or beaten Hillary Clinton when it comes to delegates from primaries and caucuses. That being said, it’s the Democratic party’s superdelegate system that has stood in the way of Bernie Sanders’ path to the nomination, with the majority of the party’s so-called superdelegates pledging to Hillary Clinton.
These superdelegates are typically important figures in the Democratic party, including former presidents, senators, representatives, and members of the DNC. These superdelegates are free to cast their vote for any candidate they wish at the upcoming Democratic convention.
Considering that Hillary Clinton is largely seen as the establishment figure in the race for the Democratic nomination, it’s no surprise that 544 of the party’s 719 superdelegates are pledged to Clinton, compared to just 45 pledged to Bernie Sanders, giving Clinton a firm lead on Sanders before taking elected delegates into account. However, according to Politico, Bernie Sanders support from the DNC’s superdelegates is growing as he attracts more pledged superdelegates ahead of the party’s primary in California.
Monahan released a statement around her endorsement of Bernie Sanders, saying “In the primaries and caucuses held so far, Senator Sanders has won about 45 percent of the pledged delegates, yet has pledges from only about six percent of the super delegates. No wonder Sanders voters are so frustrated with the party.”
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Bernie Sanders will certainly welcome his growing superdelegate count, however, it doesn’t change the steep uphill climb that he still faces if he’s going to even catch up with Hillary Clinton. However, considering the Democratic party’s superdelegates are free to support whoever they wish, there’s nothing stopping some of Hillary Clinton’s pledged superdelegates from transferring their support to Bernie Sanders when the Democratic National Convention comes about in July 2016.
The superdelegate system was introduced by the DNC in 1982 as a way of preventing the party’s leadership from clashing with the electorate when it comes to picking their nominee. However, many see it as an undemocratic method of election, heavily falling on the side of establishment-backed candidates like Hillary Clinton.
Democratic delegates won. pic.twitter.com/E6ntsddPXp
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 28, 2016
According to Breitbart, Bernie Sanders has consistently vowed to dismantle the Democratic party’s superdelegate system. However, it’s more than fair to say that claiming to take the vote away from the very voters you’re trying to win over isn’t the best method. Many within the Democratic party see Bernie Sanders as a threat to the way in which the party runs and its electability, hence the lack of widespread support from within the Democratic party for Bernie Sanders.
Whether more superdelegates pledge their support to Bernie Sanders or not, remains to be seen. However, the outsider candidate doesn’t appear to be letting go of his bid to win the Democratic party’s nomination anytime soon.