Democratic National Convention, 2016

2016 Democratic National Convention

Date July 25-28, 2016 Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Candidates President Hillary Clinton Vice President Tim Kaine

Delegates

Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Convention Platform and Platform Committees • Standing Committee on Rules • Democratic National Committee • Brokered conventions

Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage 2024 • 2020 • 2016

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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) held its presidential nominating convention from July 25-28, 2016, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1]

With support from 2,842 delegates, Hillary Clinton formally received the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on July 26, 2016.

Democratic Platform and Platform Committees

See also: The Democratic Party Platform and DNC Platform Committees, 2016

As the contentious Democratic primary between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) drew to a close, questions about the future of the Democratic Party and party unity came to the forefront in both political conversations and media coverage.^[2][3] Central to the dispute was what the Democratic Party platform should look like and who should be involved in its formation.

On June 25, 2016, a draft of the Democratic Party platform was approved by the Platform Drafting Committee. It included calls to raise the minimum wage to $15, abolish the death penalty, more strictly regulate Wall Street, establish a multi-millionaire surtax, and review existing trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.^[4] According to J Street's Jeremy Ben-Ami, the draft also featured language on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that gave “parallel acknowledgment of Israeli and Palestinian rights.”^[5]

Sanders said the following day that he would continue to push for more progressive policies, including a carbon tax and fracking ban, in the platform. “We lost some very important fights. We're going to take that fight to Orlando, where the entire committee meets in two weeks. And if we don't succeed there, then we'll certainly take it to the floor of the Democratic convention,” he pledged.^[6][7]

The larger Platform Committee approved a final draft of the platform in the early hours of July 10, 2016, which included victories for Sanders backers on climate change, healthcare, and the federal minimum wage. Among their unsuccessful proposals were a rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, language on Israeli settlements, and a ban on fracking. "We got 80% of what we wanted in this platform,” said Warren Gunnels, a foreign policy adviser to Sanders.^[8]

When Sanders endorsed Clinton on July 12, 2016, he personally indicated his approval of the platform, saying, "I am happy to tell you that at the Democratic Platform Committee which ended Sunday night in Orlando, there was a significant coming together between the two campaigns and we produced, by far, the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party. Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton presidency – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen."^[9]

The 2016 Democratic Party platform can be viewed here. It was approved by voice vote at the national convention on July 25, 2016.

Standing Committee on Rules

See also: DNC Rules Committee, 2016 and Democrats avoid a floor fight by supporting unity commission

Although the Rules Committee of the 2016 Democratic National Convention was overshadowed in the media by its Republican counterpart, the report it produced had the potential to reshape the Democratic electoral process. In dispute were rules governing the function and influence of superdelegates in selecting the Democratic Party's presidential nominee and whether all primary contests should be restructured as open primaries.^[10]

The Rules Committee convened on July 23, 2016, prior to the start of the convention.^[10] Rhode Island state legislator Aaron Regunberg proposed an amendment to eliminate the superdelegate system, but it was defeated by a vote of 108 to 58. Other proposals to reduce the power of superdelegates were also blocked to the objection of many Sanders supporters.^[11] They chanted, “One person, one vote, superdelegates have got to go," while those in favor of the superdelegate system argued that eliminating it "would hamper diversity among the party’s delegates," according to The Huffington Post.^[12]

The committee ultimately approved a compromise deal to establish a 21-member "unity commission" tasked with evaluating the Democratic nominating process, calling for two-thirds of superdelegates to be bound to the results of state primaries and caucuses, establishing same-day voter registration, and increasing access to caucuses. The deadline for the commission's report was January 1, 2018.^[13][14]

There was some speculation that opponents of the superdelegate system would still file a minority report and take the matter to a floor vote at the convention.^[15] Under the "2016 Call for the Democratic National Convention," a minority report could have been prepared if at least 25 percent of committee members requested it. On the convention floor, the report's advocates and opponents would then have been given equal time to discuss its merits before it was submitted to the delegates for adoption by a majority vote.^[16]

Instead, on July 25, 2016, the delegates to the Democratic National Convention approved the committee's report on the rules by voice vote. The "unity commission" resolution was also approved after former Denver Mayor and Clinton supporter Wellington Webb (D) and Maine State Rep. and Sanders supporter Diane Russell (D) introduced its charter and goals.

Roll call

Superdelegates

See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Superdelegates are automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike at-large and district-level delegates, they are not elected to this position. Also unlike at-large and district-level delegates, they are not required to pledge their support to a specific presidential candidate, and they are not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, superdelegates included high-ranking members of the Democratic National Committee in each state and U.S. territory, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders such as current and former presidents and vice presidents. Distinguished party leaders in 2016 included President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and the Democratic Party's 1984 presidential nominee Walter Mondale. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 national convention.

As of July 11, 2016, 604 superdelegates were known to have expressed support for Hillary Clinton, while 47 had expressed support for Bernie Sanders, according to CNN.^[17]

Delegation selection

Terms and definitions

Hover over each term to display a definition.

Primary election

Caucus

Delegate

In order to win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, a candidate had to win 2,382 delegates at the national convention There were 4,763 delegates present at the Democratic National Convention roll call vote on July 26, 2016.^[18][19]

There were two basic types of Democratic convention delegates: pledged and unpledged. A candidate was eligible to win a share of the pledged delegates at stake in a state if he or she received at least 15 percent of votes cast in a primary or the preferences expressed in a caucus, either in a congressional district or statewide. Individuals who were pledged delegates were pledged to support the candidate to whom they were allocated. There were approximately 4,050 pledged delegates at the 2016 convention. There were three categories of pledged delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates and pledged party leader and elected officials (PLEO delegates).^[18]

Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the results of the primary or caucus in a congressional district. The number of district delegates who were apportioned to each congressional district was determined by the Democratic vote in each district in recent elections. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally based on the statewide results in the primary or caucus. Pledged party leaders and elected officials (PLEO delegates) were delegates by virtue of their office; PLEO delegates could include statewide elected officials, state legislators, local elected officials or party leaders. PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on the statewide results of the primary or caucus.^[20]

Debbie Wasserman Schultz was the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 primary season.

Candidates were only eligible to receive a share of the pledged delegates at stake—congressional district delegates, at-large delegates or PLEO delegates—if they won at least 15 percent of votes cast in a primary or the preferences expressed in a caucus. That standard was referred to as the 15 percent threshold. In addition to pledged delegates, there were alternate delegates for each state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. Alternates attended the convention but did not vote unless a pledged delegate was unable to attend.

Unpledged delegates, sometimes referred to as superdelegates, were automatic delegates to the convention and were not required to pledge their support to a presidential candidate. Unpledged delegates were members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, or distinguished party leaders (such as former presidents or vice presidents). There were approximately 713 unpledged Democratic convention delegates in 2016. If an unpledged delegate was unable to attend the convention, an alternate delegate was not substituted as a replacement.^[18][21]

The Democratic National Committee set the rules that determined the overall composition of pledged delegates in state delegations (including those from Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories). Delegations had to be equally divided between men and women. Each state had to set specific goals for the number of pledged delegates who were African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Also, states were required to conduct outreach efforts, such as recruitment and training, to groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in the political process because of their race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or disability.

The pie chart below presents the total numbers and proportions for each delegate type at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

The map below compares delegate counts by state, both as raw numbers and as percentages of the total delegation (hover over a state to see this information). A lighter shade of blue indicates a smaller number of delegates while a darker shade indicates a higher number.

Democratic primary/caucus calendar and delegate counts

The table below lists the number of pledged Democratic delegates who were allocated as of each primary or caucus date. On March 1, 2016, 12 states and jurisdictions held Democratic primaries or caucuses. On this date, 865 pledged Democratic delegates were allocated, more than on any other single day in the 2016 primary season. In order to win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, a candidate needed to win 2,382 delegate votes at the national convention.

Speakers

Featured speakers

Additional speakers

Host city

The 2016 Democratic National Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 2016. The city previously hosted the party's national convention in 1948.^[23]

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) told reporters in February 2015 that Philadelphia was chosen because of its logistics, security, and resources. "The fact that there are 18500 hotel rooms within a 15 minute walk of the arena, the Wells Fargo arena, the fact that you would have an opportunity for delegates to be coming back and forth and interacting very cohesively in Philadelphia was a big strength of theirs," Wasserman Schultz said.^[24]

New York City and Columbus, Ohio, were the other two finalists. The Associated Press reported in December 2014 that one of the deciding factors in the selection of the host city would be its "ability to raise an estimated $65 million or more along with the potential venues, hotels and transportation options for delegates, party activists and the media."^[25]

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said that he expected the event to cost $84 million.^[23]

Host committee leadership

The Host Committee was primarily comprised of sitting and former elected officials from Pennsylvania and Philadelphia:^[26]

Venue

The Wells Fargo Center served as the setting for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The sports complex, which normally houses the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers sports teams, was expected to receive 50,000 delegates and members of the press during the event.^[27][28]

On April 12, 2016, the chief executive of the convention, Rev. Leah Daughtry, said that the venue layout for the convention was designed with home audiences in mind. "Our goal this year is to make this convention the most engaging, inspiring and forward looking convention in history. We want more Americans than ever before to feel connected to the convention experience, even if they are thousands of miles away," she said.^[29] Daughtry added that planning for the event was "on time, on task, and on budget."^[28]

Convention date

The 2016 Democratic National Convention was held from July 25-28, 2016, making it the earliest convention since the 1992 Democratic National Convention.^[30]

Ballotpedia Battleground Poll (June 10-22, 2016)

See also: Ballotpedia's battleground poll, 2016

Ballotpedia partnered with Evolving Strategies and surveyed voters across seven states (June 10 – 22) regarding their vote preferences. We tested six election scenarios. In one set, we matched Hillary Clinton (D) in a series of two-way contests with Donald Trump (R), Ohio Governor John Kasich (R), and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R). In the second set, we matched these same candidates in a series of three-way contests that also included former governor Gary Johnson.

In all seven states, Clinton polled higher than Trump. The tightest battleground race between the two frontrunners was in Iowa, where Clinton led Trump by a weighted 4 percentage points. Clinton saw the largest lead in Michigan, where she led Trump by a weighted 17 percentage points. Comparatively, John Kasich polled ahead of Clinton in five of the seven states, and Paul Ryan polled ahead of Clinton in three states.

Evolving Strategies and Ballotpedia surveyed 4,242 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.0%.

Fundraising

New legislation passed in 2014 altered the sources of funding for both the Democratic and Republican conventions. In April 2014, President Barack Obama (D) signed a bill that reallocated $126 million of federal money previously used to help pay for the party conventions to pediatric medical research.^[31] Later, in October 2014, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted to allow each party to create a new national committee to raise funds for its convention.^[32] The new policy enabled donors to contribute an additional $32,400 per year to cover convention expenses.^[33][34]

In December 2014, the Democratic National Committee filed paperwork with the FEC to establish a fundraising committee for the convention. The new committee was filed under the name "Democratic National Convention Committee 2016."^[35]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Democratic + National + Convention + 2016

See also

• Presidential election, 2016
• Republican National Convention, 2016
• Democratic National Committee
• Democratic National Committee email leak

External links

• Democratic National Committee website
• Library of Congress: Democratic National Political Conventions, 1832-2008

Footnotes

v • e 2016 Conventions Overviews Democratic National Convention, 2016 • Republican National Convention, 2016 • Green Party National Convention, 2016 • Libertarian National Convention, 2016 • Brokered conventions • State election law and delegates to national conventions Republican Party Republican National Convention rules, 1996 • Republican National Convention rules, 2000 • Republican National Convention rules, 2012 • Republican delegate rules by state, 2016 • Rule 12 • Rule 16 Rule 40 • RNC Rules Committee • RNC Standing Committee on Rules • Republican Platform and Platform Committee Democratic Party Democratic Platform and Platform Committees • Standing Committee on Rules • Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention Presidential election 2016 presidential election • 2016 presidential candidates • 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules • Ballotpedia's battleground poll