Belinda Biafore wasa superdelegate to the2016 Democratic National Convention fromWest Virginia.^[1] Biafore was one of eight superdelegates from West Virginia. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Biafore supportedHillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.^[2] Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president onJuly 26, 2016.^[3]

What is a superdelegate?

See also:Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.^[4]

West Virginia primary results

See also:Presidential election in West Virginia, 2016

Bernie Sanders won the West Virginia Democratic primary. With 99 percent of precincts reporting in, he defeatedHillary Clinton 51 to 36 percent. Sanders won all 55 counties in the state. According to the television network exit poll, a representative sampling of voters as they left their precinct polling stations, roughly 90 percent of the Democratic electorate in West Virginia was white, more than half of whom supported Sanders. About one-third of white voters backed Clinton, while the rest backed lesser-known Democratic candidates such asPaul Farrell Jr. andKeith Judd. For more on how the vote unfolded in West Virginia's Democratic primary, seeSanders, Trump take May 10 primaries.

West Virginia Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Bernie Sanders	51.4%	124,700	18
Hillary Clinton	35.8%	86,914	11
Paul Farrell	8.9%	21,694	0
Keith Judd	1.8%	4,460	0
Martin O'Malley	1.6%	3,796	0
Roque De La Fuente	0.4%	975	0
Totals		242,539	29
Source:The New York Times andWest Virginia Secretary of State

Delegate allocation

See also:2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

West Virginia had 37 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 29 werepledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state'spledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.^[5][6]

Eight party leaders and elected officials served asunpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.^[5][7]

See also

• Democratic National Convention, 2016
• 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
• Presidential election, 2016
• Presidential candidates, 2016
• Presidential election in West Virginia, 2016

Footnotes

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