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Keelan Sanders
| Keelan Sanders | |
| Democratic National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Superdelegate |
| State: | Mississippi |
| Supporting: | Bernie Sanders |
| Delegates to the DNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state | |
Keelan Sanders was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Mississippi.[1] Sanders was one of five superdelegates from Mississippi. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus results to support a specific presidential candidate. Keelan Sanders’ name was included on a list of superdelegates supporting Bernie Sanders released by Sanders' campaign in April 2016.[2] Leading up to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Sanders had approximately 1,832 pledged delegates and 47 superdelegates for a total of 1,879 delegates. The winner of the Democratic nomination needed the support of 2,383 delegates at the national convention.[3]
What is a superdelegate?
Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[4]
Mississippi primary results
Hillary Clinton won the Mississippi Democratic primary, beating Bernie Sanders 83 to 17 percent. Clinton won every county in the state. She won Hinds County, Mississippi's most populous county, 84 to 15 percent.[5] Exit polls, a representative sampling of voters as they left their precinct polling stations, show that Clinton performed well with nearly every major demographic in the state. Some groups backed her by large margins. More than 80 percent of female voters, who made up an estimated 61 percent of the Democratic primary electorate in Mississippi, supported Clinton. Eighty-nine percent of African-American voters, who made up roughly 71 percent of the Democratic primary electorate, supported her.[6] In polling from February, Clinton led Sanders by upwards of 40 points, and she received endorsements from more than 50 Mississippi mayors and eleven-term Rep. Bennie Thompson (D), whose district includes the state capital of Jackson.[7] Clinton lost the state in 2008 to Barack Obama 37 to 61 percent.[8]
| Mississippi Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Hillary Clinton |
82.5% | 187,334 | 31 | |
| Bernie Sanders | 16.6% | 37,748 | 5 | |
| Martin O'Malley | 0.3% | 672 | 0 | |
| Roque De La Fuente | 0.2% | 481 | 0 | |
| Willie Wilson | 0.4% | 919 | 0 | |
| Other | 0% | 10 | 0 | |
| Totals | 227,164 | 36 | ||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State and The New York Times | ||||
Delegate allocation
Mississippi had 41 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 36 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[9][10]
Five party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[9][11]
See also
- Democratic National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential election in Mississippi, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ BernieSanders.com, "Publicly Committed Superdelegates," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Mississippi," March 8, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Mississippi exit polls," March 8, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton crushes Sanders in Mississippi," March 8, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Mississippi," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
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