What happens if no candidate gets enough delegates

A river flood warning in effect for Lake and Volusia Counties. What happens if no Democratic candidate earns enough delegates for a nomination? Possibility exists for contested convention in Milwaukee.

Published: March 4, pm. Tags: Democratic convention , Election , Elections , Features. For context, there hasn't been a brokered convention scenario for Democrats since , the year Franklin D. Roosevelt went on to win the general election.

This year, the possibility of a brokered convention seems less like political fan fiction and more likely a plausible reality. While Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has emerged as the solid frontrunner following the first rounds nominating contests with the exception of Biden's South Carolina win , the still-crowded Democratic field could pose a threat to his potential to amass delegates during the coveted Super Tuesday voting spree, where big-delegate states like California and Texas are up for grabs.

And, even if Sanders does emerge victorious, there are superdelegates chomping at the bit to deny him the nomination, all but certainly teeing up a messier-than-usual showdown on the convention floor in Milwaukee come July.

The plausibility of this scenario will become much more clear after the results of Super Tuesday are announced, and without one candidate commanding a decisive lead, anything will still be possible. Related Content:. Daniela Ferrera had stopped at a red light on October 11, , in the Miami neighborhood of Westchester, where a pro-Joe Biden caravan was making its way.

According to new data from the U. What Happens To DNC Delegate Selection Rules Rule 12J : Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them. In an e-mail to Time magazine, a DNC spokesperson explained rule 12J to mean that "delegates are not bound to vote for the candidate they are pledged to at the Convention or on the first ballot.

In practice, pledged delegates are unlikely to change their votes. DNC rules allow candidates to vet their list of pledged delegates and to remove any delegates they wish. In a pure two-way race, that outcome would be impossible. In this case, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards does have 18 pledged delegates, so a brokered convention is possible. A "brokered convention" is one in which delegates pick the nominee through further ballots and deliberation.

But it would occur only if Clinton and Obama fall just a few delegates short of an absolute majority. In that unlikely event, Edwards could ask his supporters to cast their votes for either Clinton or Obama. Or the delegates could decide on some third candidate entirely. A somewhat more likely scenario is a convention fight over seating delegates from Florida and Michigan.