The 2008 Presidential race is turning out to be historic for a number of reasons. For the first time in history, we have a viable woman candidate. We also have a black candidate, who is bringing huge crowds and inspiring people in a way reminiscent of John F. Kennedy. Both are battling it out in an amazingly close race for the Democratic nomination. People all across the nation - probably in both major political parties - are watching the race very closely to see if the delegates chosen by popular vote will be able to direct selection of the Democratic party nominee. Or, will the super delegates second-guess the votes cast in the primary elections and caucuses, and choose who they believe would be a better candidate for president? Will we know before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, August 25-28, 2008?

Unlike the Democrats, Republicans do not have a super delegate system. All delegates elected through the primary process will directly count and we will have a final count soon as to the winner of the Republican party nominee. Only 1,191 delegates are needed for one of the candidates to secure the nomination. Then, its basically a party at the convention on August 30, 2008.

Who are the Super Delegates?

This is specified on the Democratic Party Web Page.

The "unpledged delegates" are described as:

• The Democratic President and the Democratic Vice President of the United States, if applicable; and,
• All Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives and all Democratic members of the United States Senate; and,
• The Democratic Governor, if applicable; and,
• All former Democratic Presidents, all former Democratic Vice Presidents, all former Democratic Leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.

On March 1, 2008, the Secretary of the Democratic National Committee officially confirmed to each State Democratic Chair the names of these unpledged delegates who legally reside in their respective state and who shall be recognized as part of their state's delegation (unless any member has publicly expressed support for the election of, or has endorsed, a presidential candidate of another political party).

For a list of names of "unpledged delegates," current as of 2/12/08, click here.

How Many Votes do they Get?

The super delegates comprise 842 of the total 2,025 delegates needed for a Democratic candidate to secure the nomination of the party. Do the math and you'll discover that 40% of the delegates required for a nomination come from people that are described as "unpledged," and who do not have to follow the will of the popular vote.

Some of the current delegate counts you may hear through the networks for each candidate are only partially accurate. Unless the counts specifically state that they do not include super delegates, it is important to remember that super delegates need not firmly commit until convention. In other words, they are not 100% secure. In fact, reports state that Obama's campaign has made in-roads in reducing the number of super delegates that Clinton claimed supported her. Both candidates have been campaigning not only before the large, cheering crowds, but also making private telephone calls to the super delegates to convince them to cast their vote in their favor.

When and Why was the System Established?

The Democratic Party decided to institute the Super Delegate system after a couple of so-called failures in the electoral process. Most would agree that the nomination of George McGovern in 1972 was a political nightmare when, in the general election, he won only one state, and garnered less than 38% of the popular vote. Many people thought that Jimmy Carter was a disaster as a President, as well. To avoid future such embarrassments, the party decided to call in Democratic leaders with a "vested interest" in the future of the party, that would act as a "reality check" with respect to votes cast by (what they think to be less well-informed) regular voters. These leaders would be the super delegates and would have a substantial say in the nomination of a Democratic party candidate.

Some people believe that the Democratic nomination was taken away from Gary Hart and given to Walter Mondale in 1984 in part due to the super delegates.

In short, if the Super Delegates believe that a candidate is not experienced enough, or does not match party ideals well enough, they have enough combined power to potentially throw the race to another candidate in a close contest.

How are the Super Delegates Factoring in Today?

Because the Super Delegates are uncommitted and can change their mind until convention, it truly cannot be determined how the Super Delegates will factor in. Factors such as the current state of the war, whether or not the country suffers any terrorist attacks, and even the current polls showing the match-up of each Democratic candidate against the Republican candidate in a general election will come into play.