New Visibility for Democratic LGBT Superdelegates
With Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fiercely vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, the votes of superdelegates may matter more than ever in 2008. As opposed to regular delegates, superdelegates are people
automatically selected to vote for a candidate at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) because they are current or former elected office holders or party leaders. And, unlike most delegates, superdelegates enjoy the freedom to support a candidate regardless of the results of primaries or caucuses in their home states. With the tightness of the race between Clinton and Obama, the votes of the 796 Democratic superdelegates may carry immense weight at the DNC's August convention.
With these superdelegates holding significant power in the Democratic nomination process this year, what's particularly newsworthy is the number of self-identified LGBT people who count themselves amongst this select group. San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter recently reported that—according to the National Stonewall Democrats—22 LGBT people rank as superdelegates this year because of their status as elected officials or party officials. The Bay Area Reporter argued that, with Clinton and Obama running so close in the polls and primaries, the votes of these LGBT superdelegates could help make the difference in determining the Democratic nominee. Of the 22 openly LGBT superdelegates, 13 have pledged their vote to Clinton, 2 have pledged their vote to Obama, and 7—along with about 300 other superdelegates—remain undecided.
Additionally, the Bay Area Reporter noted that votes from congressional districts with large LGBT populations may help tip the scales in favor of Obama or Clinton in the upcoming Texas and Ohio primaries.
As the Democratic nomination process grows more intense, we encourage the media to pay attention to the significance of LGBT superdelegate votes and LGBT voters in general during this unpredictable and exciting election year.
Cindi Creager is the Director of National News
automatically selected to vote for a candidate at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) because they are current or former elected office holders or party leaders. And, unlike most delegates, superdelegates enjoy the freedom to support a candidate regardless of the results of primaries or caucuses in their home states. With the tightness of the race between Clinton and Obama, the votes of the 796 Democratic superdelegates may carry immense weight at the DNC's August convention.
With these superdelegates holding significant power in the Democratic nomination process this year, what's particularly newsworthy is the number of self-identified LGBT people who count themselves amongst this select group. San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter recently reported that—according to the National Stonewall Democrats—22 LGBT people rank as superdelegates this year because of their status as elected officials or party officials. The Bay Area Reporter argued that, with Clinton and Obama running so close in the polls and primaries, the votes of these LGBT superdelegates could help make the difference in determining the Democratic nominee. Of the 22 openly LGBT superdelegates, 13 have pledged their vote to Clinton, 2 have pledged their vote to Obama, and 7—along with about 300 other superdelegates—remain undecided.
Additionally, the Bay Area Reporter noted that votes from congressional districts with large LGBT populations may help tip the scales in favor of Obama or Clinton in the upcoming Texas and Ohio primaries.
As the Democratic nomination process grows more intense, we encourage the media to pay attention to the significance of LGBT superdelegate votes and LGBT voters in general during this unpredictable and exciting election year.
Cindi Creager is the Director of National News
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