superdelegate

noun

su·​per·​del·​e·​gate ˈsü-pər-ˌde-li-gət 

US politics

: a person who is chosen as a delegate to a political party's presidential nominating convention because of his or her status as a leader or official within the party and who is free to vote for any candidate regardless of the results of the popular vote in primary elections and caucuses preceding the convention

Superdelegates were invented by the Democrats after the 1980 election in the expectation that in any future close nomination race, they would line up behind the establishment candidate and head off the possibility of a ruinous floor fight at the convention.

—Matt Bai

Examples of superdelegate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Democratic National Committee has determined that Biden had enough delegates to win on the first ballot, meaning superdelegates may vote in that round. —Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman, Austin American-Statesman, 22 July 2024

If the primary season ended with a relatively close contest, the superdelegates would not be able to vote on the convention’s first ballot. —Louis Jacobson and Amy Sherman, Austin American-Statesman, 22 July 2024

Here's what to know about delegates and superdelegates after Joe Biden dropped out. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 21 July 2024

That group includes some party officials — superdelegates — who are barred from voting to nominate on the first ballot. —Michael Scherer, Washington Post, 13 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above