Republican delegate rules, 2020
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The 2020 Republican presidential nominee will be selected by delegates to the Republican National Convention, which will be held August 24-27, 2020, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee and adopts a party platform. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state or territory at the convention.
In 2020, there were an estimated 2,551 delegates: 2,441 pledged delegates and 110 unpledged delegates.
To win the Republican nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of delegates—an estimated 1,276 delegates.[1] Approximately two-thirds of pledged delegates, who are bound to vote on at least the first ballot at the national convention based on the results of their states' primary or caucus, will have been allocated by the end of March 2020.
This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention, their selection and allocation, and a summary of delegates by state.
Click here to learn more about 2016 Republican Party delegate rules by state.
Delegate selection and allocation
Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state at their party's national nominating convention. Republican delegates may be selected in a variety of ways, including through elections, by the Republican state committee, by state or congressional district conventions, or by virtue of a leadership position within the state's Republican Party.
There are three primary methods used to allocate Republican delegates (which means to bind them to vote for a certain candidate on at least the first ballot at the national convention):[2]
- Proportional: States using this method either allocate all their delegates proportionally to the candidates based on the statewide vote or they allocate at-large delegates proportionally based on the statewide vote and congressional district delegates proportionally based on the vote at the district level.
- Winner-take-all: States using this method allocate all their delegates to the candidate who receives a plurality of votes in the primary election or caucus.
- Hybrid: The Republican National Committee describes hybrid allocation methods as those that combine other methods. Some states award at-large delegates on a winner-take-all basis according to the statewide vote and congressional district delegates on a winner-take-all basis according to the vote within the districts. Some states directly elect delegates, who are usually bound to a particular candidate on the ballot.
Most Republican delegate allocation rules are set by state parties and state laws, though the Republican National Committee sets some rules that states must comply with. Delegates bound by primaries or caucuses held before March 15 must be allocated proportionally to candidates, either based on the statewide vote or the vote at the congressional district level. States using proportional allocation are, however, allowed to establish a minimum threshold, up to 20 percent, below which a candidate does not qualify for any proportionally allocated delegates. States may also set a threshold of at least 50 percent above which a candidate receives all delegates.[3]
The map below shows a summary of Republican delegate allocation methods by state.[1][4][5][6]
Pledged vs. unpledged delegates
Pledged delegates
Pledged delegates, also called bound delegates, are bound to vote on at least the first ballot at the national convention based on the results of their states' primary or caucus. The Rules of the Republican Party, as passed in July 2016 and amended in July 2018, state the following:
| “ |
Any statewide presidential preference vote that permits a choice among candidates for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in a primary, caucuses, or a state convention must be used to allocate and bind the state’s delegation to the national convention in either a proportional or winner-take-all manner, except for delegates and alternate delegates who appear on a ballot in a statewide election and are elected directly by primary voters.[7] |
” |
| —Rule 16(a)(1), The Rules of the Republican Party[8] | ||
There are four distinct types of pledged Republican delegates:[9]
Pledged district delegates are distributed and elected at the congressional district level. The Republican Party assigns three district-level delegates to each congressional district.
Pledged at-large delegates are distributed and elected statewide. The Republican Party assigns 10 at-large delegates to each state.
Pledged party leaders: The Republican Party gives delegate status to three party leaders from each state and territory—its national committeeman, national committeewoman, and state party chair.
Pledged bonus delegates: Bonus delegates are assigned to states whose electoral votes went to the Republican nominee in the last presidential election and to states in which Republicans hold: the governorship, at least half of U.S. representative seats, a majority of a state legislative chamber, a majority of seats in both legislative chambers, or a U.S. Senate seat (elected within the past six years).
Unpledged delegates
Unpledged delegates, also called unbound delegates, are not bound by the results of state primaries or caucuses. Some state and territory party rules dictate that some or all of their Republican delegates are unbound.[10] The following was an estimate of unbound Republican delegates as of May 2019.
- Pennsylvania's 54 district-level delegates were not bound to support any particular presidential candidate.
- North Dakota does not hold a presidential primary or caucus in which citizens vote. All 29 of the state's Republican delegates were unpledged.
- Colorado's three party leader delegates were unpledged.
- Wyoming's three party leader delegates were unpledged.
- All 18 delegates from American Samoa (9) and Guam (9) were unpledged. The Virgin Islands' three party leader delegates were also unpledged.
Argument that delegates were unbound
During the 2016 Republican presidential nomination process, there was debate about whether delegates to the Republican National Convention were bound to vote for the candidate that won their states' primary or caucus.[11][12][13][14]
Most Republican Party officials, like RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and a majority of Rules Committee members, supported the view that the Republican delegate allocation rules set by state parties and state laws were binding, and that pledged delegates were required to vote according to the results of their state’s primary or caucus.[15][16] However, some argued that the state party rules and laws were not binding at the convention. Rather, they argued, Rule 37(b) of the national party rules and historical precedent supported the interpretation that delegates could vote according to their own preferences.[11]
Former Republican National Committee member Curly Haugland wrote:[11]
| “ | The history of the Republican National Convention proves that delegates have always, with the exception of 1976, been free to vote their conscience, and the rule that has protected this right over the last 136 years [Rule 37(b)] remains part of the temporary rules of the 2016 convention. The U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on the issue also make clear that delegates are free to ignore state laws purporting to bind them, and the one national party rule purporting to bind delegates expires at the start of the convention.
|
” |
Ultimately, the Rules Committee of the Republican National Convention in 2016 adopted a version of Rule 16 of the national party rules that affirmed the requirement for pledged delegates to vote according to how state party rules bound them. The rule said, “The Secretary of the Convention shall faithfully announce and record each delegate’s vote in accordance with the delegate’s obligation under Rule No. 16(a)(1), state law, or state party rule.” The Rules Committee also voted to amend Rule 37 with an additional clause saying, “Nothing in this rule shall be construed to prohibit the binding of delegates pursuant to Rule No. 16(a).” Steve Scheffler, a Rules Committee member and member of the Republican National Committee, said, “The voters have spoken. Why would 112 people [members of the Rules Committee] say, ‘We don’t care what you did, we’re going to set our own rules?’”[17]
Click on the following links to learn more about arguments for and against this interpretation of delegate binding:
- Green Papers: "The Ties that Bind–or Do They?" (March 19, 2016)
- The Hill: "All Delegates Are Unbound" (July 11, 2016)
- National Review: “Not a Single Republican Delegate Is ‘Bound’ to Donald Trump” (June 9, 2016)
- The Hill: “GOP delegates are legitimately bound, deal with it” (July 7, 2016)
Democratic delegate rules
- See also: Democratic delegate rules, 2020
Delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention selected Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee on August 18, 2020. The national nominating convention is the formal ceremony during which the party officially selects its nominee. The delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state, territory, or Democrats Abroad at the convention.
In 2020, there were 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates—more commonly known as superdelegates.[18]
To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate needed to receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: 1,991 pledged delegates.[19][20]
If the convention was contested and went to a second ballot or more, automatic delegates—commonly referred to as superdelegates—were able to vote and a candidate must have received majority support from all delegates—2,375.5 votes. Previously, superdelegates were able to vote on the first ballot. This rule changed after the 2016 presidential election, when the Unity Reform Commission proposed several ways to reduce the number and power of superdelegates.[21][22] To learn more about the 2016 Democratic National Convention, click here.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, several states postponed their primaries. Under Rule 12 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, no primary or caucus was permitted to take place after June 9, 2020. Any state violating that rule could have been subject to delegate reduction penalties.
This page provides an overview of the types of delegates to the convention and a summary of delegates by state. Election dates, delegate counts, and delegate allocation rules are subject to change as each state finalizes its delegation selection process. To see recent election and political coverage, view Ballotpedia's homepage.
See also
- Republican delegate rules by state, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Republican presidential nomination, 2020
- Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
- Timeline of announcements in the presidential election, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Green Papers, "Presidential Primaries 2020 Republican Delegate Allocation," accessed October 23, 2019
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed May 15, 2019
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "The Rules of the Republican Party," amended July 20, 2018
- ↑ Frontloading HQ, "2016 Republican Delegate Allocation Rules by State," accessed May 15, 2019
- ↑ Frontloading HQ, "Massachusetts GOP Rules Change Adds an Element of Winner-Take-All to 2020 Delegate Allocation," May 7, 2019
- ↑ Colorado Republican Party, "Bylaws of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee," March 30, 2019
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "The Rules of the Republican Party," amended July 20, 2018
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ The Green Papers, "The Green Papers Presidential Primaries 2020 Republican Pledged and Unpledged Delegate Summary," accessed May 9, 2019
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 The Hill, "All delegates are unbound," July 11, 2016
- ↑ National Review, "Not a Single Republican Delegate Is ‘Bound’ to Donald Trump," June 9, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP delegates are legitimately bound, deal with it," July 7, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "THE TIES THAT BIND-- OR DO THEY?" March 19, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Never Trump movement gets little help from convention rules panel roster," June 23, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Anti-Donald Trump Forces See Convention Coup as Within Reach," July 6, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Donald Trump and R.N.C. Crack Down on Rebelling Delegates," June 26, 2016
- ↑ Green Papers, "The Math Behind the Democratic Delegate Allocation 2020," accessed January 9, 2020
- ↑ The Democratic National Committee is calculating a majority as 50% plus one delegate.
- ↑ Twitter, "Josh Putnam," February 3, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "Kemp poised to spurn Trump on Georgia Senate pick," December 2, 2019
- ↑ The New York Times, "How to Win the Democratic Nomination, and Why It Could Get Complicated," February 22, 2020
