TheDemocratic National Convention (DNC) is a series ofpresidential nominating conventions held every four years since1832 by theDemocratic Party of the United States.^[a] They have been administered by theDemocratic National Committee since the1852 national convention. The primary goal of the Democratic National Convention is to officially nominate a candidate forpresident andvice president, adopt a comprehensiveparty platform, and unify the party. Pledgeddelegates from all fiftyU.S. states, theDistrict of Columbia, and theAmerican territories, andsuperdelegates which are unpledged delegates representing the Democratic establishment, attend the convention and cast their votes to choose the party's presidential candidate. Like theRepublican National Convention, the Democratic National Convention marks the formal end of theprimary election period and the start of thegeneral election season. Since the 1980s, national conventions have become mostly inaugural events for the winning candidate, since winners are announced long before the convention. In 2020, both major parties, and many minor parties, replaced their usual in-person conventions with virtual programs due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The party's presidential nominee is chosen primarily by pledged delegates, which are in turn selected through a series of individualstate caucuses and primary elections. Pledged delegates are classified into three categories:^[1][2]

• At-large pledged delegates are allocated and elected at the statewide level.^[2]
• District pledged delegates are allocated and elected at a district level, usually the congressional district, but sometimes by state or territory legislative district.^[2]
• Add-on orPLEO pledged delegates, which allow for representation bypartyleaders andelectedofficials within the state.^[1][2]

Unpledgedsuperdelegates, delegates whose votes are not bound to the outcome of a state's caucus or primary, only vote in the event of acontested nomination.^[3] These superdelegates may also be called unpledged PLEO (partyleaders andelectedofficials) delegates.^[1][2]

The size of delegations to the Democratic National Convention, for each state, territory, or other political subdivision, are described in the party's quadrennialCall for the Democratic National Convention.^[1]

Since 2012, the number of pledged delegates allocated to each of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. is based on two main factors: (1) the proportion of votes each state gave to the Democratic candidate in the last three presidential elections, and (2) the number of electoral votes each state has in theElectoral College.^[4][5]

The calculations for the2020 convention basically consist of the following three steps:^[1]

Step 1: The following formula is first used to determine each jurisdiction'sallocation factor:^[1][5]

${\displaystyle \text{Allocation factor}=\frac{1}{2}\times \left(\frac{{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2008}}+{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2012}}+{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2016}}}{{\text{TDV}}_{\text{2008}}+{\text{TDV}}_{\text{2012}}+{\text{TDV}}_{\text{2016}}}+\frac{\text{SEV}}{538}\right)}$

where

SDV = The state's Democratic vote in the indicated presidential election

TDV = The nationwide total Democratic vote in the indicated presidential election

SEV = The state's electoral votes

Step 2: Thebase delegation for each state and the District of Columbia is then determined by multiplying itsallocation factor by 3,200 (rounded to the nearest integer):^[1][5]

${\displaystyle \text{Base delegation}=\text{Allocation factor}\times 3200}$

Step 3: Finally, the jurisdiction'sbase delegation is used to calculate the number of its District, At-Large, and pledged PLEO (party leaders and elected officials who are not superdelegates) delegates (fractions 0.5 and above are rounded to the next highest integer):^[1][5]

${\displaystyle \text{At-large delegates}=\text{Base delegation}\times 0.25}$

${\displaystyle \text{District delegates}=\text{Base delegation}-\text{At-large delegates}}$

${\displaystyle \text{Pledged PLEO delegates}=\text{Base delegation}\times 0.15}$

Jurisdictions without electoral votes are instead given a fixed amount of pledged delegates. In 2020,American Samoa,Guam,Northern Mariana Islands, and theU.S. Virgin Islands each get six at-large delegates.Democrats Abroad gets 12 at-large and one pledged PLEO.^[1][5]

Puerto Rico is assigned 44 base votes in 2020, then the same formulas used in Step 3 above for U.S. states are used to calculate the territory's at-large, district, and PLEO pledged delegates:^[1][5]

${\displaystyle {\text{At-large delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44\times 0.25=11}$

${\displaystyle {\text{District delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44-{\text{At-large delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44-11=33}$

${\displaystyle {\text{Pledged PLEO delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44\times 0.15=6.6\to 7}$

The Democratic Party awards bonus pledged delegates to each jurisdiction based on two factors: timing and clustering. The timing criterion is based on when the state holds its primaries or caucuses with those states scheduling their contests in May and June getting the higher bonus. For clustering, three or more neighboring states must concurrently begin on the same date.^[1][5]

The bonus awarded is then a percentage increase in the jurisdiction's delegation (rounded to the nearest integer). A fourth of the bonus delegates are then designated as District, and the other three-fourths become At-Large.^[1][5]

The bonuses are:^[1][5]

• Timing Stage 1 (before April):No bonus
• Timing Stage 2 (April): 10 percent increase
• Cluster: 15 percent increase
• Both Timing Stage 2 and Cluster: 25 percent increase
• Timing Stage 3 (May and June): 30 percent increase
• Both Timing Stage 3 and Cluster: 35 percent increase

Based on the results of each of the primaries and caucuses, pledged delegates are awarded to the candidates underproportional representation, where candidates who get 15 percent or more of the popular vote in a state or one of its districts divide the respective delegates proportionally to the votes on the respective level (those who get under 15 percent of the votes in a state and all of its districts do not get any delegates). Statewide and district delegates are strictly separate, they are both proportionally allocated based on the popular vote in the state or the respective districts. The statewide delegates are furthermore separated into two groups, at-large delegates and pledged PLEO delegates, which are both allocated proportionally based on the statewide vote but calculated separately. This amounts to in fact three different delegate groups, allocated proportionally but separately, leading to contortion and slightly unproportional results.^[5]

Asuperdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These superdelegates include elected officials, and party activists and officials. They make up slightly under 15 percent of all convention delegates.^[6]

Superdelegates fall into four categories:^[5]

• Elected members of the Democratic National Committee
• Democratic Governors, including territorial governors and theMayor of the District of Columbia
• Democratic Members of Congress,District of Columbia shadow senators andnon-voting House members.
• Distinguished party leaders (consisting of current and former Presidents, Vice Presidents, congressional leaders, and DNC chairs)

Democratic superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination. On August 25, 2018, the Democratic National Committee agreed to reduce the influence of superdelegates by generally preventing them from voting on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, allowing their votes only in acontested nomination.^[3]

In the 2024 presidential election cycle, the Democratic National Committee held a virtual nomination vote in the first week of August to select its nominee.^[7] The virtual nomination rules allowed superdelegates to vote for a presidential candidate during the first ballot of the virtual roll call.^[8]

From1832 to1936, any nomination for president or vice-president was required to have a majority of two-thirds of the total number of delegates. Unless there was a popular incumbent, something that only happened three times between theCivil War andWorld War II, getting that many votes on the first ballot were virtually impossible.^{[9][page needed]}

This resulted in often contentious debate that riled the passions of party leaders, with delegates being forced to vote for a nominee until someone could receive the minimum number of delegates required. This situation occurred at the conventions of1852,1856,1868,1912,1920 and most notoriously,1924, where the voting went for at least a dozen ballots.

In1860, the convention deadlocked after 57 ballots, during which 50 Southern delegates walked out; subsequently, second and third conventions nominated separate Northern and Southern tickets.

Backroom deals by party bosses were normal and often resulted in compromise nominees that became known asdark horse candidates, people who never imagined they would run for president until the last moments of the convention. Dark horse candidates were chosen in order to break deadlocks between more popular and powerful prospective nominees that blocked each other from gaining enough delegates to be nominated.

One of the most famous dark horse candidates nominated at a Democratic National Convention wasJames K. Polk, who was chosen to become the candidate for president only after being added to the eighth and ninth delegate ballot.

The rules were changed to a simple majority in 1936. Since then, only one multi-ballot convention (in the1952) has taken place.

In2016,Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee of a major party in the United States.

Before1980, the party's choice of the vice-presidential nominee was usually not known until the last evening of the convention. This was because the presidential nominee had little to do with the process, and in many cases was not known at the start of the convention.

In1944 and1956, the nominee let the convention choose the running mate without any recommendation, which led to two ballots of voting being required in each case.

However, since1984 (Mondale was the incumbent VP in 1980), vice-presidential nominees have always been announced by the presumptive nominee prior to the convention. During the 1984 Democratic National Convention,Geraldine Ferraro became the first female vice presidential nominee of a major party in the United States.

In December 1974, the Democratic National Committee held aConference on Democratic Policy and Organization, whose official focus was to "consider and adopt a permanent Charter for the Democratic Party ... and such other matters as may be authorized by the Democratic National Committee." The 1974 Conference was authorized by resolution of the1972 Democratic National Convention, and was held inKansas City, Missouri.^[10] Midterm conferences were subsequently held in 1978 inMemphis^[11] and 1982 inPhiladelphia, at which future candidates for subsequentDemocratic presidential primaries spoke.

Following the 1982 conference, the Democratic National Committee suspended further midterm conferences due to cost constraints. Revival of the Democratic midterm conference event has been repeatedly discussed, including as recently as 2025 in time for the2026 United States elections.^[12]

By 1824, thecongressional nominating caucus had fallen into disrepute and collapsed as a method of nominating presidential and vice-presidential candidates. A national convention idea had been brought up, but nothing occurred until the next decade: state conventions andstate legislatures emerged as the nomination apparatus until they were supplanted by the national convention method of nominating candidates. PresidentAndrew Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" privately carried out the plan for the first Democratic National Convention: the public call for the first national convention emanated from Jackson's supporters inNew Hampshire in 1831.

The first national convention of the Democratic Party began inBaltimore on May 21,1832, only to nominate a vice-presidential candidate as it was clear that Jackson as the party's natural leader would run for the presidency again. In that year the rule requiring a two-thirds vote to nominate a candidate was created, andMartin Van Buren was nominated for vice president on the first ballot. Although this rule was waived in the 1836 and 1840 conventions – when Van Buren was nominated as presidential candidate by acclamation – in 1844, it was revived by opponents of former President Van Buren, who had the support of a majority (but not two-thirds) of the delegates, in order to prevent him from receiving the nomination after his 1840 defeat. The rule then remained in place until 1936, when the renomination of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt by acclamation allowed it finally to be put to rest.

On seven occasions, this rule led to Conventions which dragged on for over a dozen ballots. The most infamous examples of this were in1860 at Charleston, when the convention deadlocked after 57 ballots: the delegates adjourned, and reconvened in separate Northern and Southern groups six weeks later, and in1924, where "Wets" and "Drys" deadlocked between the frontrunners,Alfred E. Smith andWilliam G. McAdoo, for 102 ballots over 16 days before finally agreeing onJohn W. Davis as a compromise candidate on the 103rd ballot. Also, in1912,Champ Clark received a majority of the votes, but did not subsequently go on to achieve a two-thirds vote and the nomination (Woodrow Wilson won the nomination on the 46th ballot), the only time this happened.

Since 1932, only one convention (in1952) has required multiple ballots. While the rule was in force, it virtually assured that no candidate without support from the South could be nominated. The elimination of the two-thirds rule made it possible for liberalNorthern Democrats to gain greater influence in party affairs, leading to the disenfranchisement ofSouthern Democrats, and defection of many of the latter to theRepublican Party, especially during theCivil Rights struggles of the 1960s.

William Jennings Bryan delivered his "Cross of Gold" speech at the1896 convention, while the most historically notable and tumultuous convention in recent memory was the1968 Democratic National Convention inChicago, Illinois, which was fraught with highly emotional battles between conventioneers andVietnam War protesters and an outburst by Chicago mayorRichard J. Daley. Other confrontations between various groups, such as theYippies and members of theStudents for a Democratic Society, and the Chicago police in city parks, streets and hotels marred this convention.

Following the 1968 convention, in which many reformers had been disappointed that Vice PresidentHubert Humphrey, despite not having competed in a single primary, easily won the nomination over SenatorsEugene McCarthy andGeorge McGovern (who was announced after the assassination of another candidate, SenatorRobert F. Kennedy), a commission headed by Senator McGovern reformed the Democratic Party's nominating process to increase the power of primaries in choosing delegates in order to increase the democracy of the process. Not entirely coincidentally, McGovern himself won the nomination in 1972. The1972 convention was significant in that the new rules put into place as a result of theMcGovern commission also opened the door for quotas mandating that certain percentages of delegates be women or members of minority groups, and subjects that were previously deemed not fit for political debate, such asabortion andlesbian and gay rights, now occupied the forefront of political discussion.

The nature of Democratic (andRepublican) conventions has changed considerably since the 1972 McGovern reforms (which have largely influenced the Republican primaries as well). Every four years, the nominees are essentially selected earlier and earlier in the year, so the conventions now officially ratify the nominees instead of choose them. The1976 convention was the last where the vice-presidential nominee was announced during the convention, after the presidential nominee was chosen (Carter choseWalter Mondale). The1980 convention was the last convention for the Democrats that was seriously contested (whenTed Kennedy forced a failed vote to free delegates from their commitment to vote forJimmy Carter). Even the close race of2008, which was not decided until early June, did not signify a change of the modern function of the convention, as superdelegates andHillary Clinton's withdrawal ensuredBarack Obama's win before the convention.

Prior to the2020 convention in Milwaukee (which due toCOVID-19 was moved from the largerFiserv Forum to the smallerWisconsin Center, with the acceptance speeches delivered from theChase Center on the Riverfront inWilmington, Delaware), the1984 convention at theMoscone Center inSan Francisco was the last Democratic Convention to be held in a convention center complex; all the intervening and subsequent years saw their conventions held in sports arenas.

• History of the Democratic Party (United States)
• List of Democratic National Conventions

This "further reading" sectionmay need cleanup. Please read theediting guide and help improve the section.(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Becker, Carl (1899). "The Unit Rule in National Nominating Conventions".The American Historical Review.5 (1):64–82.doi:10.2307/1832960.JSTOR 1832960.
• Binkley, Wilfred E.American political parties: their natural history (1962)online
• Carleton, William G. (1957). "The Revolution in the Presidential Nominating Convention".Political Science Quarterly.72 (2):224–240.doi:10.2307/2145774.JSTOR 2145774.
• Chase, James S. (1973).Emergence of the Presidential Nominating Convention, 1789–1832. University of Illinois Press.ISBN 978-0-25200312-7.
• Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer (Report). Version 3.Congressional Research Service. April 17, 2000. RL30527.
• Costain, Anne N. (1978). "An Analysis of Voting in American National Nominating Conventions, 1940–1976".American Politics Quarterly.6 (1):95–120.doi:10.1177/1532673X7800600104.
• Davis, James W. (1983).National Conventions in an Age of Party Reform. Greenwood Press.ISBN 978-0-313-23048-6.
• Kazin, Michael (2022).What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN 978-0-37420023-7.
• Key Jr., V.O.Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups (4th ed. 1958) pp 414–470.online
• Miles, Edwin A. (1960). "The Keynote Speech at National Nominating Conventions".Quarterly Journal of Speech.46 (1):26–31.doi:10.1080/00335636009382388.
• Morison, Samuel E. (1912). "The First National Nominating Convention, 1808".The American Historical Review.17 (4):744–763.doi:10.2307/1832458.JSTOR 1832458.
• Pfau, Michael William (2006). "Conventions of Deliberation? Convention Addresses and Deliberative Containment in the Second Party System".Rhetoric and Public Affairs.9 (4):635–654.JSTOR 41940105.
• Sautter, R. Craig;Burke, Edward M. (1996).Inside the Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions, 1860–1996. Loyola Press.ISBN 978-0-8294-0911-6.
• Silver, Adam (2018). "Consensus and Conflict: A Content Analysis of American Party Platforms, 1840–1896".Social Science History.42 (3):441–467.doi:10.1017/ssh.2018.14.JSTOR 90024189.

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