Delegate
A party representative selected during primaries or caucuses who votes for a presidential nominee at the national convention.
Delegates are individuals chosen during the primary and caucus season to represent their state at the national party convention, where the formal nomination of a presidential candidate takes place.
The total number of delegates available differs by party and changes between election cycles based on each party's allocation rules. Winning a state's primary or caucus earns a candidate a share of that state's delegates.
Most delegates are pledged - meaning they are bound by party rules to vote for the candidate they were allocated to support on at least the first ballot at the convention.
Winning a majority of pledged delegates during the primary season is typically sufficient to secure the nomination before the convention begins.
Keep learning
A convention delegate who is bound by party rules to vote for a specific candidate based on primary or caucus results.
A Democratic Party automatic delegate - typically an elected official or party leader - who is not bound by primary results on the first ballot.
The national gathering of a political party's delegates that formally nominates the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
A national party convention where no candidate arrives with enough delegates to win on the first ballot, requiring negotiation to select a nominee.