According to the voting in the primaries and caucuses that led to the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, there should be one whale of a convention fight looming in Philadelphia next month.
But instead, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has cruised to an almost assured victory, thanks to the party’s “superdelegates.” These Democratic elected officials, former elected officials, and top-of-the-line campaign donors cannot be bound by any primary or caucus vote, and are allowed to vote for whomever they want at the national convention.
Eight years ago, a large number of them shifted their support near the end of the race from Clinton to now-President Barack Obama. This time around, they’ve almost unanimously endorsed Clinton over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), much to the chagrin of the progressive-socialist wing of the party.
The California Democratic Party, whose delegates account for nearly one-seventh of the total delegates at the Democratic National Convention, is pushing for wholesale changes to their party’s presidential nominating process. In a resolution adopted Sunday, the state party urged the national organization to do away with all caucuses and most of its superdelegates.
The measure was co-authored by Christine Pelosi, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who is a superdelegate backing Clinton, and Daraka Larimore-Hall, the state party’s secretary who is a Sanders backer. The vote, while unanimous, is unlikely to gain any real steam, unless other states sign on too.
Pelosi called it a “moment of healing” for the two factions ahead of the November general election.
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