Pledged Delegate
A convention delegate who is bound by party rules to vote for a specific candidate based on primary or caucus results.
Pledged delegates are bound by their party's rules to vote for the candidate who won the primary or caucus in which they were allocated. This commitment typically holds for at least the first ballot at the national convention.
The number of pledged delegates a candidate needs to clinch the nomination before the convention varies by party. Reaching that threshold - known as clinching the nomination - effectively ends the competitive primary season.
Pledged delegates are usually party activists, local officials, or volunteers who support the candidate. Their actual vote at the convention is a formal step in the nominating process, though in most modern cycles it confirms an already-decided outcome.
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A party representative selected during primaries or caucuses who votes for a presidential nominee at the national convention.
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.
The candidate formally selected by a political party to run for president in the general election.