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Rick Palacio
| Rick Palacio | |
| Democratic National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Superdelegate |
| State: | Colorado |
| Supporting: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the DNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state | |
Rick Palacio is a former interim chief of staff for the gubernatorial administration of Jared Polis (D). He began serving as chief of staff on August 1, 2020, when his predecessor Lisa Kaufmann went on maternity leave. Palacio served until Kaufmann returned from leave.[1]
Palacio was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Colorado.[2] Palacio was one of 12 superdelegates from Colorado. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Ballotpedia was not able to identify whether Palacio supported Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic nomination.[3]
Career
Early education and career
Palacio attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado.[4]
Prior to becoming Polis' chief of staff, Palacio worked as the managing partner of The Majority Institute, a Denver, Colorado-based research and polling firm. In 2018, Palacio was the co-chair of Gov. Jared Polis's transition committee. He has also served as the chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party for a period of six years, and has worked as an aide to U.S. Rep. John Salazar and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.[5]
Jared Polis chief of staff
On July 16, 2020, Gov. Jared Polis (D) selected Palacio as his interim chief of staff, effective August 1, 2020. He was preceded by Lisa Kaufmann. Palacio left office when Kaufmann returned to her role at the end of her maternity leave in November 2020. [6]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2020, Ballotpedia identified Rick Palacio as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by each administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[7]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff, and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[7]
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.[8]
Colorado caucus results
- See also: Presidential election in Colorado, 2016
Bernie Sanders won the 2016 Colorado Democratic caucus. Sanders swept nearly all western and central counties and urban areas of the state.[9] In 2008, Barack Obama won the Colorado Democratic caucus with 67 percent of the vote, while Hillary Clinton came in second with 32 percent. In 2016, Clinton finished second with 40 percent.[10] A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in Colorado in November 2015 showed Clinton leading the Democratic field in Colorado with 55 percent. The same poll found that Clinton had the lowest favorability rating of any candidate, but she was rated highest for having the right experience to be president.[11]
| Colorado Democratic Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Bernie Sanders |
59% | 72,846 | 41 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 40.3% | 49,789 | 25 | |
| Other | 0.7% | 822 | 0 | |
| Totals | 123,457 | 66 | ||
| Source: Colorado Democratic Party and CNN | ||||
Delegate allocation
Colorado had 78 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 66 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 caucus results.[12][13]
Twelve 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.[12][14]
See also
- Jared Polis
- Denver, Colorado
- Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
- Democratic National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential election in Colorado, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Colorado.gov, "Gov. Polis Announces Interim Chief of Staff," July 16, 2020
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "LinkedIn," "Rick Palacio," accessed August 27, 2020
- ↑ "Colorado.gov," "Gov. Polis Announces Interim Chief of Staff," July 16, 2020
- ↑ "Colorado.gov," "Gov. Polis Announces Interim Chief of Staff," July 16, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Colorado Caucus Results," March 1, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, “Primary Season Election Results,” accessed February 29, 2016
- ↑ Quinnipiac University Poll, "Carson is Top Doc in Colorado Republican Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; All Top GOP Candidates Lead Clinton by Double-Digits," November 18, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 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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