What about Delegates Pledged to Candidates Who Have Withdrawn?

[MineralMan]

Here's a list of such candidates and the current number of their pledged delegates:

Elizabeth Warren - 79
Mike Bloomberg - 53
Pete Buttigieg - 26
Amy Klobuchar - 7

Those numbers are unlikely to change now, since none of those non-running candidates will earn enough votes to have additional delegates allocated to them.

Depending on the details of the rules adopted at the convention, the 165 delegates pledged to those candidates might be able to vote as they choose on the first ballot, since none of those candidates are likely to be nominated at the convention. If so, I think the delegates pledged to Warren would probably split between Biden and Sanders. The others, however, are pledged to candidates who have endorsed Joe Biden, so they'd probably vote for Biden, with few exceptions.

If a candidate is just short of having a majority of all delegates, that could be enough to tip that candidate over the majority. If not, a second ballot would be held. In a second ballot, the unpledged delegates, sometimes called super delegates would add their 774 votes on that second ballot. Since they are all long-time Democrats, either elected members of congress, Senators, Governors, etc, it's likely that a large majority of those unpledged delegates would vote for Joe Biden, and take him well over the majority of delegates needed for the nomination.

In my opinion, if the primary elections go as they seem to be going, Joe Biden will either have a majority of delegates on the first vote or be very close to that. Either way, he is almost certain to be our Democratic nominee for President. I don't see any path to that for Bernie Sanders, based on current election trends.

[bluedye33139]

1. I'm embarrassed that I don't know the rules in Washington State

Warren looks like she's going to get 10 to 12% of the vote, and I don't know what the cutoff is for delegates. There are 89 delegates from Washington State, 34 of them have been allocated so far to Biden and Sanders, and my hope is that my vote for Warren will be carried forward by a delegate for Warren to the convention.

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know what the threshold is for delegates. And I'm a political junkie.

[MineralMan]

2. The rules are basically the same in all states. 15% or more of the vote is needed

to get any delegates. Delegates are awarded by districts or statewide. So, it is possible that she might have 15% or more in some districts, and might end up with a delegate or two that way.

That 15% rule is across the board including at the convention. Any nominated candidate at the convention has to get 15% or more delegate votes on the first ballot, or they are dropped from the next ballot. Most likely, such a candidate would not be nominated to be on the first ballot, though, although that is a possibility.

[hedda_foil]

7. Candidates with pledged delegates generally release them at the convention.

In most cases, those candidates issue a non-binding instruction for their delegates to vote for the presumed nominee unless there's a law to the contrary in their state.

[Gothmog]

11. These withdrawn candidates cannot put their name into nomination

I was a delegate to the Philadelphia convention and saw how the process works. One key item is that under the rules, a candidate cannot be put into nomination without 300 delegates. https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2020-Call-for-Convention-WITH-Attachments-2.26.19.pdf

Nomination of the Democratic Candidate for President: The Permanent Chair shall receive nominations from the floor for the Democratic candidate for the Office of President of the United
States in the following manner:

a. Requests to nominate a presidential candidate shall be in writing and shall have affixed thereto the written approval of the proposed nominee and the name of the individuals who shall be recognized to make the nominating and seconding speeches on behalf of a presidential candidate and shall be delivered to the Convention Secretary at a location as specified by the Secretary no later than 6:00 p.m. of the day preceding the day designated for the commencement of presidential nominations.

b. Each such request must be accompanied by a petition indicating support for the proposed nominee signed by delegates representing not less than 300 or more than 600 delegate votes, not more than 50 of which may come from one (1) delegation. A delegate may not sign more than one (1) nominating petition for president and for vice president. Pledged and automatic delegates may sign the petition.

The delegates for these withdrawn candidates will have to vote for one of the two candidates whose names were put into nomination. I suspect that the Biden team will assist the withdrawn candidates in vetting their delegates to make sure that these delegates will support Biden

[LiberalFighter]

3. They need 15% of the vote for delegates.

[George II]

4. I think they have the option of releasing them before the initial ballot or retaining them.....

....it's unclear though.

I don't think it's going to be an issue, though. Biden will easily get more than the required 1991 by mid-April.

[MineralMan]

5. OK. Thanks.

I have not looked at the convention rules this year. They are not finalized until the convention votes on the rules.

Biden currently has 901 delegates, according to:

https://www.thegreenpapers.com/P20/D

Sanders has 737, according to the same source.

[drray23]

6. Biden will pass 1991 by may.nt.

[NCProgressive]

8. Sanders would probably drop out after March 17 unless he is masochistic

If that happens, it is over.

[MineralMan]

9. Well, I hope he does just that.

[Gothmog]

10. All candidates including withdrawn candidates have approval rights over their delegates

I was a Clinton delegate to the 2016 convention and I had fun reading up on the rules. All delegates are free to vote for anyone they want at the convention and this includes so-called pledged delegates or super delegates (PLEO and automatic delegates). Candidates can protect themselves by vetting delegates. Each candidate has absolute approval right over their pledged delegates. I know that I was vetted and I helped vet other Clinton delegates. At the Texas state convention in 2016, the sanders campaign removed a delegate elected by his senate district caucus because that young man would not tell a sanders campaign official that he hated Clinton. That young man was removed but got to attended the national convention as a guest of the state party.

The candidates who have withdrawn still get to approve and vet their delegates. That means that these candidates should work with the Biden campaign to select delegates who agree with that candidates choices. This means selecting hard core/real democrats who are actual members of the Democratic Party and who will do what is best for the party. I have been working with my county and state party for a very long time which is how I got elected as a delegate. Normally it takes years of hard work inside the party to qualify as a national delegate. These people are not going to do something that is against the best interests of the party.

Please note that these candidates cannot put their name into nomination without 300 delegates. I suspect that the Biden campaign will be taking steps to vet or help the withdrawned candidates vet their delegates. I am active on Lawyers for Biden and will be making some suggestions here later.

[MineralMan]

12. Thanks for that info!