• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Leadership

The Fight for Democratic Super Delegates Isn’t Over Yet

By
Reid Wilson
Reid Wilson
and
Morning Consult
Morning Consult
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reid Wilson
Reid Wilson
and
Morning Consult
Morning Consult
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 25, 2016, 10:34 AM ET
Democratic Presidential Candidates Hillary Clinton And Bernie Sanders Debate In Durham, New Hampshire
Photograph by Justin Sullivan — Getty Images

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is just under 700 delegates away from clinching the Democratic presidential nomination. Her lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is bolstered by the 467 party leaders and elected officials who get an automatic vote at this summer’s Democratic convention — better known in political parlance as super delegates — who back her campaign. Just 26 super delegates back Sanders.

But while Clinton’s lead among those party leaders is huge, it could be bigger: 219 super delegates have yet to declare their support for either Clinton or Sanders, and one more endorsed former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley last year.

Among those still sitting on the fence: Five Democratic governors, five senators, 21 House members and one former president of the United States (no, not Bill Clinton; Jimmy Carter hasn’t said for whom he will vote).

With the convention still four months away, here’s a look at who hasn’t formally declared support for one of the two remaining Democratic candidates:

Distinguished Party Leaders: Clinton 10, Sanders 1, 9 uncommitted.

The distinguished party leaders mainly include former party chairmen and senior elected officials who have since retired. Clinton has support from former DNC chairs such as Howard Dean, Steve Grossman, Ed Rendell and Roy Romer. Sanders’ lone supporter in this category is Paul Kirk, who served as DNC chairman in the 1980s. (He actually beat a California Democratic fundraiser named Nancy Pelosi to win the post.)

But others haven’t yet cast their lot. Joe Andrew, who served as party chairman during George W. Bush’s presidency, has not yet committed. Neither have former Maine Sen. George Mitchell, Clinton-era DNC chair Debra DeLee or Al Gore. And two other uncommitted party leaders: Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who get to vote on their own successors.

 

 

Democratic National Committee members: Clinton 239, Sanders 17.5, O’Malley 1, 177.5 uncommitted.

First, let’s deal with those fractions: Super delegates who live abroad only get half a vote. Sanders has support from Gary Suwannarat, who lives in China. Katie Solon, the chairwoman of Democrats Abroad, lives in Germany, where she maintains Swiss-like neutrality. Past chairman Ken Sherman, who lives in Canada, and John Eastwood, a DNC member living in Taiwan, are also neutral.

Plenty of state party chairs, who are members of the DNC, remain unaligned, including New Hampshire’s Ray Buckley, Washington’s Jaxon Ravens and Colorado’s Rick Palacio. Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Philadelphia convention and a DNC member, is also uncommitted.

So are DNC Vice Chairman R.T. Rybak, former West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, Rules and Bylaws Committee Co-Chairman Jim Roosevelt (a long-time DNC member and grandson of Franklin Roosevelt), New Jersey powerbroker George Norcross, Illinois state Senate President Mike Madigan and CNN commentator Donna Brazile.

Dan Hynes, formerly the Illinois state comptroller, was the lone DNC member to back O’Malley. Hynes ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004, coming in second behind some no-name state senator named Barack Obama. (There’s no bad blood there: Hynes spoke on the first day of the 2008 Democratic convention where Obama was formally nominated.)

Governors: Clinton 16, Sanders 0, 5 uncommitted.

Clinton locked up a lot of gubernatorial support early. Among those who haven’t officially made up their minds: California Gov. Jerry Brown, one of Bill Clinton’s erstwhile nemeses; Montana Gov. Steve Bullock; West Virginia’s Earl Ray Tomblin; Hawaii’s David Ige; and Alejandro García Padilla, the governor of Puerto Rico.

 

[fortune-brightcove videoid=4800578453001]

 

Members of the House: Clinton 166, Sanders 6, 21 uncommitted.

The ranks of the uncommitted run the gamut, from centrist Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Peter DeFazio of Oregon to liberals such as Wisconsin’s Mark Pocan and California’s Barbara Lee. Three of the Philadelphia-area Democrats who will be hosting the convention, Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle and Donald Norcross of New Jersey, George’s brother, are staying out of the fray.

So is DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida; then again, the Sanders campaign might have a different take on whether Wasserman Schultz is truly neutral.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California is still in the undecided column. Her daughter, DNC member Christine Pelosi, has endorsed Clinton.

Senators: Clinton 40, Sanders 1, 5 uncommitted.

The senators who haven’t yet formally made up their minds include Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, DSCC Chairman Jon Tester of Montana and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren. The DNC also gives a vote to D.C.’s shadow senator, Paul Strauss; he hasn’t made up his mind.

The lone senator backing Bernie Sanders: Bernie Sanders.

This article was originally published on Morning Consult.

About the Authors
By Reid Wilson
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Morning Consult
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

AI promises to free workers from grunt work, but psychologists say those mindless tasks are exactly what our brains need to recover
AIworker productivity
AI promises to free workers from grunt work, but psychologists say those mindless tasks are exactly what our brains need to recover
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 11, 2026
2 hours ago
Three people sit behind a desk and look at the phone screen of the person in the middle.
Future of WorkConsulting
Meet ‘trendslop,’ the new, AI-fueled scourge of workplace consultants everywhere
By Sasha RogelbergApril 10, 2026
12 hours ago
A young man looks at his phone, and a flurry of red arrows point downwards.
Cryptosports betting
Prediction markets have made betting easier than ever—and young men are paying the price
By Carlos GarciaApril 10, 2026
17 hours ago
chick-fil-a
North AmericaImmigration
Why Chinese immigrants to America love Chick-fil-A so much
By Fu Ting and The Associated PressApril 10, 2026
18 hours ago
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf’s $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
SuccessGolf
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf’s $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
By Sydney LakeApril 10, 2026
18 hours ago
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
United Airlines CEO judges candidates by whether pilots would want to go on a four-day trip with them: ‘If you say no, then they’re out’
By Emma BurleighApril 10, 2026
19 hours ago

Most Popular

Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
Success
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
18 hours ago
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
Investing
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
Innovation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
AI
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
Politics
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.