A brokered convention occurs when no candidate has enough delegates to secure the nomination. Superdelegates or uncommitted delegates, prominent members of the party, can then decide the nominee. This process involves discussion, multiple votes, and political exchanges. It is not a democratic process and can result in a failure to unite the party behind a single candidate. The last brokered convention was in 1952, and candidates chosen in this way may not have a good chance of winning the election.
A brokered convention occurs at a United States presidential convention where no nominated candidate has received the necessary delegates decided by primary elections and caucuses to secure the nomination. If two people running in primary elections are nearly evenly matched in delegates as the nominating convention approaches, the decision on who will actually run for president is taken out of the hands of the people. Instead, it is left to uncommitted delegates (so-called by the Republican party) or Democratic party superdelegates.
Superdelegates or uncommitted delegates are essentially the same thing. They are prominent members of the Democratic or Republican Party respectively, who get one vote at their respective conventions. They include former presidents, elected officials and leading members of each party. Usually, superdelegates do not have the final say on the presidential nomination. From the candidates vying for the nomination, a clear winner can emerge long before the convention is held. When candidates arrive at the convention tied or nearly tied, the votes of the superdelegates are exceptionally important and will decide who is nominated for president.
This is called a brokered convention because it involves a lot of discussion, multiple votes, political exchanges, and what might be called behind-the-scenes dealings. Since it’s important for a party to appear united before entering a presidential race, attempts to sway votes in one direction are invaluable. When superdelegate votes split nearly evenly, this can represent a failure for the party to unite behind a single candidate, which can affect the presidential race.
The brokered convention is not a democratic process. Indeed, many people argue that a brokered convention directly counters the will of the people. However, since the people have split the vote between two candidates, so that the delegates are almost equal, both sides feel that at this point they have the right to interfere to choose the presidential candidate. But it cannot be denied that the choice need not be based on popular vote; it can be based on any number of agreements that are not to be made public.
The last convention negotiated in the United States was in 1952 when the Democratic Party nominated Adlai Stevenson, who did not win the general election. Even the negotiated 1948 convention that resulted in the Republican nomination of Thomas Dewey did not result in a victory for Dewey. While this cannot be called a pattern, it does suggest that candidates chosen in a brokered convention may not have a good chance of winning election.
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