I think you are thinking about what the rules are AFTER the convention.
State parties may have rules about how delegates to the party convention are to vote, but those rules can be changed. Parties ultimately nominate their candidate—voters do not. It’s a fairly recent development that states have primaries and delegates are pledged to t…
I think you are thinking about what the rules are AFTER the convention.
State parties may have rules about how delegates to the party convention are to vote, but those rules can be changed. Parties ultimately nominate their candidate—voters do not. It’s a fairly recent development that states have primaries and delegates are pledged to the winner of the state’s primary—even as recently as 2008 there was a superdelegate faction that theoretically had enough heft to overrule the popular vote. There was a kerfuffle between superdelegates that favored Hillary and delegates pledged to Obama because he won more via the primaries.
I do think that if Biden refused to step aside, you’d have a point. He’d have to agree to quit and release his delegates—then the party could make rules about how those delegates should vote…some kind of state by state delegate caucus right before the convention, or a more open process at the convention.
I think you are thinking about what the rules are AFTER the convention.
State parties may have rules about how delegates to the party convention are to vote, but those rules can be changed. Parties ultimately nominate their candidate—voters do not. It’s a fairly recent development that states have primaries and delegates are pledged to the winner of the state’s primary—even as recently as 2008 there was a superdelegate faction that theoretically had enough heft to overrule the popular vote. There was a kerfuffle between superdelegates that favored Hillary and delegates pledged to Obama because he won more via the primaries.
I do think that if Biden refused to step aside, you’d have a point. He’d have to agree to quit and release his delegates—then the party could make rules about how those delegates should vote…some kind of state by state delegate caucus right before the convention, or a more open process at the convention.