Superdelegates, officially called automatic delegates, are Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who go to the national convention without being pledged to any candidate. Since a 2018 rule change, they can’t vote on the first presidential ballot unless the outcome is already settled by pledged delegates. They only get a real say if the convention goes to a second ballot, which hasn’t happened since 1952.
So for the 2028 Democratic nomination, primary and caucus voters pick the nominee in any normal year. Superdelegates matter only if the race ends without anyone winning a majority of pledged delegates.
Why were superdelegates created? #
The story starts in 1968. At a chaotic Democratic convention in Chicago, party leaders nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey even though he hadn’t run in a single primary. The backlash produced the McGovern-Fraser Commission, whose reforms made primaries and caucuses the main way to choose delegates.
Party leaders then worried that the new system had shut out the people who would have to govern alongside the nominee. After the 1972 and 1980 general elections went badly for Democrats, the party’s Hunt Commission, chaired by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, recommended seating a block of unpledged “party leader and elected official” delegates. They first voted at the 1984 convention, which nominated Walter Mondale.
The stated goals were to give governors and members of Congress a voice, bring institutional experience to the convention floor, and act as a check if primary voters picked a nominee party leaders considered unelectable.
Pledged vs. unpledged delegates: what’s the difference? #
| Pledged delegates | Superdelegates (automatic delegates) | |
|---|---|---|
| How they’re chosen | Won by candidates in primaries and caucuses | Seated automatically because of their position |
| Tied to a candidate? | Yes, based on the results in their state or district | No |
| First-ballot vote | Yes | Only if the result is already settled |
| Share of delegates | About 85% | About 15% |
Pledged delegates are allocated in proportion to the vote. Candidates who clear 15% in a state or district split its delegates according to their share. Our guide to how pledged delegates are allocated walks through the math.
Superdelegates number roughly 700 to 750 in recent cycles. They include:
- Democratic members of Congress and governors.
- Members of the Democratic National Committee from every state and territory.
- Distinguished party leaders, such as former presidents, vice presidents, congressional leaders and DNC chairs.
How do superdelegates work today? #
In 2016, hundreds of superdelegates publicly backed Hillary Clinton before most voters had cast a ballot. Clinton went on to win more pledged delegates and more primary votes than Bernie Sanders, so superdelegates didn’t change the result. The early endorsements still convinced many Sanders supporters that the process was tilted, and the party responded.
In August 2018 the DNC voted to change the rules:
- First ballot: only pledged delegates vote, unless one candidate already has enough pledged delegates to win. In that case superdelegates can vote because their votes can’t change the outcome.
- Second and later ballots: if nobody wins on the first ballot, superdelegates vote along with everyone else.
That limit has shaped every Democratic nomination since. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee finished its work on the 2028 delegate selection rules in 2026, and nothing in that process reversed the 2018 change. The exact rules text is published by the DNC at democrats.org.
When could superdelegates decide a nomination? #
Only in a contested convention, where no candidate arrives with a majority of pledged delegates. That’s more plausible in an open race with several strong candidates, because proportional allocation lets candidates keep collecting delegates in state after state without anyone pulling away.
Even then, history suggests superdelegates follow the pledged-delegate leader. In 2008, Hillary Clinton started with a large lead among superdelegates. As Barack Obama built a lead in pledged delegates, superdelegates moved to him and the race ended without a floor fight. Since 1984, superdelegates have never nominated someone who didn’t also lead in pledged delegates.
The 2028 Democratic field is open, since President Trump can’t run for a third term. Election Tracker’s 2028 Primary tab shows national polls for both parties’ fields, each with a polling average and a trend line, and a candidate has to appear in enough polls before being averaged. Watching whether one candidate’s average pulls clear of the field is the simplest early signal of whether a contested convention is even possible.
Do Republicans have superdelegates? #
Not in the Democratic sense. Each state and territory sends three members of the Republican National Committee to the convention as automatic delegates: the state party chair, the national committeeman and the national committeewoman. Under current RNC rules they’re generally bound by their state’s primary or caucus results like other delegates, so they don’t act as free agents.
Republicans also allocate many delegates on a winner-take-all or winner-take-most basis, which tends to produce a clear front-runner faster than proportional allocation. Our explainer on primaries vs. caucuses covers how states choose delegates.
Frequently asked questions #
Can superdelegates change their minds? #
Yes. Endorsements during the primary season are informal and non-binding. A superdelegate can switch support at any time before casting a convention vote, and many did in 2008.
How many superdelegates are there? #
The number shifts with the number of Democratic officeholders and DNC members, but it’s been roughly 700 to 750 in recent cycles, about 15% of all convention delegates.
Have superdelegates ever overturned the primary voters? #
No. Since superdelegates were created for the 1984 convention, the Democratic nominee has always been the candidate who led in pledged delegates.
Do superdelegates vote on the first ballot? #
Only when the result is already decided. Since 2018, they can’t vote on the first ballot if their votes could change the outcome. If the first ballot fails to produce a nominee, they vote on every ballot after that.
When do the 2028 primaries start? #
The first contests are expected in January and February 2028, but the calendar is set by the parties and state laws and can still shift. Our guide to when the 2028 presidential primaries begin tracks the dates.