- To decide their nominees for president, Democrats and Republicans use a system of delegates.
- The delegates are people represent their states at national party conventions. The candidate who gets the support of a majority of delegates becomes that party’s presidential nominee.
- It’s even more confounding than it sounds, and Democratic candidates must master a confusing morass of calendar conflicts and loyalties if they want to run against President Donald Trump in November.
- Trump himself is all but sure to become the Republican party presidential nominee in 2020, given his widespread support in his own party.
- Here’s the breakdown of how the process works, state by state.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Winning a presidential nomination isn’t as simple as winning the most votes.
Both Democrats and Republicans use a complicated delegate process to choose their nominees. Winning candidates must secure a majority of delegates – people who represent their state at national party conventions.
It’s a confusing system, mixing delegates who are proportioned by Congressional districts and delegates who are allocated based on votes across the entire state.
Republicans and Democrats have different rules that determine how each party’s delegates are chosen. President Donald Trump currently commands the support of 86% of GOP primary voters and several state party organizations have already canceled their primaries, so it’s all but certain that he will be the Republican presidential nominee in 2020. But the Democrat who wants to compete with him in November but still navigate a mathematically complicated morass of elections and rack up delegates across the country before the convention in July.
The number of delegates varies from state to state. In the Democratic primaries, California has the most with 415 delegates, while New York has 274 and Texas has 228. On the other end of the spectrum, US territories like Guam and American Samoa, which do not vote in the general election, have six or seven each for the primary. They might not sound like much, but when the competition is close, they can be vital.
In addition to those "pledged" delegates, the Democratic primary also features "unpledged" delegates - or "superdelegates" - who are now mainly ornamental. These "superdelegates" vote for whichever candidate they want at the party convention in the unlikely instance that there isn't an agreed-upon nominee on the first ballot. While "superdelegates" were consequential in the 2016 race, the Democratic National Committee has since stripped them of much of their powers, and they mainly serve as a ticket to the Democratic National Convention for elected officials and DNC members.
The Democratic National Committee will decide on the final delegate allocation from each congressional district sometime early this year. But for the time being, these are the best estimates, from the Green Papers and documents provided by the DNC.
Here's how each Democratic state party decides its delegates and when their ballots close. The path begins in Iowa, which is a helpful example to show how the specific allocations break down.
Iowa — February 3
Iowa has a closed caucus, meaning people can only vote in the primaries for the party where they're registered, so only Democrats will be voting in the Democratic primary.
The state has 41 delegates overall.
27 are allocated by the state's four congressional districts. Of those 27, seven delegates will be elected in the first congressional district, another seven from the second congressional, eight in the third congressional, and five in the fourth congressional.
There are 14 "at large" delegates, meaning they represent the entire state and are allocated to each candidate in proportion with their statewide support. Five of those are "PLEO" delegates, who are earmarked as "party leaders and elected officials"
Iowa has an additional eight "unpledged PLEOs," or "superdelegates." In the highly unlikely event that the Democratic party hasn't decided on a winner by the convention, these "superdelegates" may vote for whatever candidate they want. Otherwise, they mainly exist to hang out at the convention.
New Hampshire — February 11
New Hampshire has a modified version of an open primary. The meaning of a "modified primary" can vary between states, but it generally means that people can vote regardless of their political party, with a few restrictions that are ostensibly designed to keep voting fair.
It has 24 delegates overall. 16 of them are allocated by the state's two congressional districts.
Eight of the delegates are at large, three of which are PLEOs. The state has an additional nine superdelegates.
Nevada — February 22
Nevada has a closed caucus, meaning that only Democrats can vote in it.
The state has 36 delegates. 23 are allocated by congressional district.
13 delegates are at large, eight of which are PLEO. It also has 12 superdelegates.
South Carolina — February 29
South Carolina has an open primary, which means that anyone can vote regardless of their party registration.
The state has 54 delegates overall, 35 of which are allocated by congressional district.
19 of the delegates are at large, with seven of them as PLEO. The state also has nine superdelegates.
Alabama — March 3
Alabama has an open primary and 52 delegates overall.
34 delegates are allocated by congressional district and 18 are at large. Seven of those at large delegates are PLEO pledged.
The state also has nine superdelegates.
American Samoa — March 3
While voters in American Samoa cannot vote in the general elections, they can vote in presidential primaries.
The territory has an open primary with six delegates, which are all at large. It also has five superdelegates.
Arkansas — March 3
Arkansas has an open primary and 31 delegates
20 are allocated by congressional district and 11 are at large, of which four are PLEO pledged. The state also has five superdelegates.
California — March 3
California has a modified primary.
It has 415 delegates, the most of any state. 271 are allocated by congressional district and 144 are at large. Of those 144, 54 are PLEO pledged. California also has 79 superdelegates.
Colorado — March 3
Colorado has a modified primary with 67 delegates, 44 of which are allocated by congressional districts
The state has 23 at large delegates nine of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has 13 superdelegates.
Democrats Abroad — March 3
Democrats living overseas have an open caucus for themselves that also begins voting on "Super Tuesday." The group gets 13 delegates, all of which are at large and one of which is PLEO pledged. They also get four superdelegates.
Maine — March 3
Maine has a closed primary. It has 24 delegates, 16 of which are allocated by the state's two congressional districts.
The state has eight at large delegates, three of which are PLEO Pledged.
Maine also has eight superdelegates.
Massachusetts — March 3
Massachusetts has a modified primary. It has 91 delegates, 59 of which are allocated by congressional districts
The state also has 32 at large delegates, 12 of which are PLEO pledged. It also has 23 superdelegates.
Minnesota — March 3
Minnesota has a closed primary with 75 delegates
49 of them are allocated by congressional district and 26 are at large, 10 of which are PLEO pledged. Minnesota also has 17 superdelegates.
North Carolina — March 3
North Carolina has a modified primary with 110 delegates.
72 are allocated by congressional district and 38 are at large. Of the at large delegates, 14 are PLEO pledged. The state also has 12 superdelegates.
Oklahoma — March 3
Oklahoma has a modified primary. It has 37 delegates, 24 of which are allocated by congressional district.
The state has 13 at large delegates, five of which are PLEO pledged. It also has five superdelegates.
Tennessee — March 3
Tennessee has an open primary. It has 64 delegates overall, 42 of which are allocated by congressional districts. Another 22 are at-large, eight of which are PLEO-pledged. The state also has nine superdelegates.
Texas - March 3
Texas has a closed primary. The state has 228 delegates, among the most of any state. 149 are allocated by congressional district. Another 79 are at large, 30 of which are PLEO pledged. Texas also has 34 superdelegates.
Utah - March 3
Utah has a closed primary for its 29 delegates. 19 of them are allocated by congressional district, and 10 are at large, four of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has six superdelegates
Vermont - March 3
Vermont has an open primary with 16 delegates. 11 are allocated by congressional district and five are at large, 2 of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has seven superdelegates.
Virginia - March 3
Virginia has an open primary for its. 99 delegates. Of them, 65 are allocated by congressional district and 34 are at large, 13 of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has 25 superdelegates.
Idaho - March 10
Idaho has a closed primary and 20 delegates, 13 of which allocated by congressional district. Another seven delegates are at large, three of which are PLEO pledged. Idaho has an additional five superdelegates.
Michigan — March 10
Michigan has an open primary with 125 delegates.
82 of them are allocated by congressional district and 43 are at large, 16 of which are PLEO pledged.
Michigan also has 22 superdelegates.
Mississippi - March 10
Mississippi has an open primary. It has 36 delegates, 23 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another 13 are at large, five of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has five superdelegates.
Missouri — March 10
Missouri has an open primary. It has 68 delegates, 44 of which are allocated by congressional district.
Another 24 delegates are at large, nine of which are PLEO pledged. Missouri has 10 superdelegates.
North Dakota – March 10
North Dakota has an open caucus for its 14 delegates. Of those delegates, nine are allocated by congressional district, and five are at large, two of which are PLEO pledged. The state has another four superdelegates.
Washington — March 10
The state of Washington has a closed primary.
It has 89 delegates, 58 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another 31 are at large, 12 of which are PLEO pledged.
The state also has 18 superdelegates.
Northern Marianas Islands — March 14
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory, has a closed caucus. It has six delegates, all of them are at large, in addition to five superdelegates.
Arizona — March 17
Arizona has a closed primary. It has 67 delegates: 44 are allocated by congressional district and 23 at large. Of those, nine are PLEO pledged. It also has 11 superdelegates.
Florida — March 17
Florida has a closed primary. It has 219 delegates, making it one of the most important states in the primary season. Of those delegates, 143 are allocated by congressional district and 76 are at large. Of the at large delegates, 29 are PLEO pledged. The state also has 29 superdelegates.
Illinois – March 17
Illinois has an open primary for its 155 delegates. 101 of them are allocated by congressional district and 54 are at large, of which 20 are PLEO pledged. Illinois also has 29 superdelegates.
Ohio — March 17
Ohio has a modified primary. It has 136 delegates, 89 of which are allocated by congressional district. 47 delegates are at large, 18 of which are PLEO pledged. It has 17 superdelegates.
Georgia — March 24
Georgia has an open primary with 105 delegates. Of those 105, 68 are allocated by congressional districts and 37 are at large, of which 14 are PLEO pledged. The state has another 15 superdelegates.
Puerto Rico — March 29
Puerto Rico, a US commonwealth, holds an open primary. It has 51 delegates, 33 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another 18 are at large, seven of which are PLEO pledged. It also has eight superdelegates.
Alaska — April 4
Alaska has a closed primary. It has 15 delegates, nine of which are allocated by its congressional district. Another six are at large, two of which are PLEO pledged. It also has four superdelegates.
Hawaii — April 4
Hawaii has a closed primary for its 24 delegates. Of them, 15 are allocated by congressional district and nine are at large, three of which are PLEO pledged. It has another nine superdelegates.
Louisiana — April 4
Louisiana has a closed primary. It has 54 delegates, 35 of which are allocated by congressional district. 189 are at large, seven of which are PLEO pledged. In addition, it has seven superdelegates.
Wyoming — April 4
Wyoming has a closed caucus. It has 14 delegates, eight of which are allocated by its congressional district. Another six delegates are at large, two of which are PLEO pledged. And in addition to those, it has four superdelegates
Wisconsin — April 7
Wisconsin has an open primary. It has 84 delegates, 55 allocated by congressional district. Another 29 delegates are at large, 10 of which are PLEO pledged. The state has another 13 superdelegates.
Connecticut — April 28
Connecticut has a closed primary for its 60 delegates. 40 of them are allocated by congressional district and 20 at large, of which six are PLEO pledged. It also has 15 superdelegates.
Delaware — April 28
Delaware has a closed primary with a total of 21 delegates. 14 of them are allocated by congressional district and another seven are at large, two of which are PLEO pledged. It also has 15 superdelegates.
Maryland — April 28
Maryland has a closed primary for its 96 delegates. 65 of them are allocated by congressional district and another 31 are at large, 10 of which are PLEO pledged.
Maryland has another 23 superdelegates.
New York – April 28
New York has a closed primary with 274 delegates. 184 are allocated by congressional district and another 90 are at large, of which 29 are PLEO pledged. New York also has 46 superdelegates.
Pennsylvania — April 28
Pennsylvania has a closed primary. It has 186 delegates - 125 are allocated by congressional districts and 61 are at large, 20 of which are PLEO pledged. Pennsylvania also has 24 superdelegates.
Rhode Island — April 28
Rhode Island has a modified primary with 26 delegates. 18 are allocated by congressional districts and eight are at large, of which three are PLEO pledged. The state has nine superdelegates.
Guam — May 2
The US territory Guam has a closed caucus with seven delegates, all of them at large and none PLEO pledged. It has another five superdelegates.
Kansas — May 2
Kansas has a closed primary. It has 39 delegates, 26 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another 13 are at large, four of which are PLEO pledged. The state also has six superdelegates.
Indiana — May 5
Indiana has an open primary with 82 delegates. 55 of them are allocated by congressional district and 27 are at large. Of the at large delegates, nine are PLEO pledged. The state also has seven superdelegates.
Nebraska — May 12
Nebraska has a modified primary with 29 delegates. 20 of them are allocated by congressional district and nine are at large, of which three are PLEO pledged. It has another four superdelegates.
West Virginia — May 12
West Virginia has a modified primary. It has 28 delegates, 19 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another nine are at large, of which three are PLEO pledged. The state also has six superdelegates.
Kentucky — May 19
Kentucky has a closed primary. It has 54 delegates, 36 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another 18 are at large, six of which are PLEO pledged. It also has six superdelegates.
Oregon — May 19
Oregon has a closed primary with 61 delegates. 41 of them are allocated by congressional district, and 20 are at large, of which seven are PLEO pledged. Oregon also has 14 superdelegates.
District of Columbia — June 2
The District of Columbia, which encompasses Washington, DC, has a closed primary. It has 20 delegates, 13 of which are allocated by congressional district. Another seven are at large, of which two are PLEO pledged. The district also has 26 superdelegates.
Montana — June 2
Montana has an open primary. It has 19 delegates. Of them, 13 are allocated by congressional district and, four are at large, of which two are PLEO pledged. The state has another six superdelegates.
New Jersey — June 2
New Jersey has a modified primary with 126 delegates. 84 of them are allocated by congressional district and another 42 are at large, of which 14 are PLEO pledged. It also has 21 superdelegates.
New Mexico — June 2
New Mexico has a closed primary. It has 34 delegates. 23 are allocated by congressional district and another 11 are at large, of which four are PLEO pledged. The state also has 11 superdelegates.
South Dakota — June 2
South Dakota has a modified primary with 16 delegates, 10 of which are allocated by congressional district. The state has six at large delegates, of which two are PLEO pledged. The state also has five superdelegates.
Virgin Islands — June 6
The United States territory of the Virgin Islands closes out the delegate selection with its open primary.
It has seven delegates, all of which are at large and none of which are PLEO pledged, in addition to its six superdelegates.
