Are There Republican Superdelegates?

[Knightskye]

And shouldn't they throw their support behind the only conservative in the race, to save the Republican party?

[Kotin]

i dont think so

[WilliamC]

To my understanding the superdelegates are a Democratic thing.

[Knightskye]

To my understanding the superdelegates are a Democratic thing.

Alright. Thanks. :)

[Jon4Paul]

Thankfully no or McCain would already have the nomination. The party has tried to eliminate Ron Paul at every turn. Our support is the only thing that keeps him in the race in the face of so much opposition.

[Tronchaser]

Well, here in oklahoma, there are "kind of" superdelegates. The top 3 GOP people in the state are automatically national delegates, so they automatically have stroke... but I don't know if it's the same as the dems though.

[Ironyinc]

"Superdelagates" are only for Democrats and include pretty much every higher up democrat and their dog.

Republicans have "Uncommitted Republican National Committee Members" which act in the same way but constitute only 5% of the total delegates rather than the 20% of the Democrats delegates (why are they called the democratic party anyway?).

[robert4rp08]

Ron Paul delegates are the superdelegates :D

[jsu718]

There are. Each state has 3 that are not tied to anything but themselves. They aren't technically "superdelegates" so much as just delegates that aren't nominated or voted on.

[JordanQ72]

Yes, sort of. While the democrats have well about 20% of the total delegate count be superdelegates, who are free to vote however they want, the Republicans have about 5% of the total delegates be 'superdelegates' (3 per state), but by tradition they customarily vote for however their state went.

[WRellim]

And shouldn't they throw their support behind the only conservative in the race, to save the Republican party?

Actually, YES there are, but they are not called that.

Most of the states have THREE delegates reserved for the State GOP "Party Officials" -- typically the State Party Chairman, the state's "National Committeeman" and "National Committeewoman" (the two "representative" party people that are in the RNC).

These three are normally considered "uncommitted" delegates -- but in actual practice they are essentially "ordered" to vote the way the RNC tells them to (and which they WILL do "if they know what's good for them").

In most years it's all a *moot* point, since the convention is nothing but a coronation affair anyway.

If something happens that is SO egregious that the RNC starts to publicly distance itself from McCain (and don't bet on ANY scandal doing that) -- but if somehow lightning should strike the guy down... then yes, these people CAN act in much the same way as the Democratic "superdelegates" and vote entirely differently.

My understanding is that these people -- being "party officials" are NOT subject to the "binding" of the various states results. (The RNC Convention Call documents can and DO override even state laws on this stuff... it's a twisty maze of contradictions, but the RNC basically writes the final rules.)