A question about the US elections...

[rhythmaning]

The BBC has a useful Q&A about the US primaries and caucauses, but there is a question that I have that I can't find an answer to anywhere: what happens to the votes of delegates pledged to candidates who drop out of the party contests? Who gets the votes of Mitt Romney (on the Republican side) or John Edwards (on the Democratic)?

Ta.

Comments

[matgb]

In the first round, Edwards would (Romney hasn't dropped out, he's "suspended his campaign").

If no one wins, then the candidate they're pledged to gets to offer them to someone else and you get a whole lotta horse trading.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

That seems quite bizarre - for the parties to go through a whole rigarole of local democracy just for some states to end up not actually contributing to the democratic process.

I must admit I'll be quite glad to see the end of all this in November.

[matgb]

The Republicans mostly have a winner takes all per state, which means yes, ig oyu back a candidate that pulls out, then your vote is mostly lost, but the Democrats assign differently, sometimes by county or congress district, then some go by state.

Don't believe all the hype about McCain being home and dry. Huckabee could easily pick up Romney's votes in the states still to be contested, and if Romney backs him at the Convention then on existing delegates McCain isn't that far ahead.

All the votes cast count, but if everyone else pulls out it becomes a coronation at the Convention, but if they keep fighting it could end up split which will make it very interesting indeed.

Honestly? I'm hoping for Huckabee vs Obama, there is no way in hell they'll elect a creationist loon like him, the "Conservative" vote'll get trashed and it could be a complete wipeout for the repubs, which would show the sane majority that they really need to move on from the religious bigotry. If McCain gets the ticket and then loses, we'll have to deal with many many more years of religious right rhetoric, and if Hilary gets the democrat nomination then McCain could even actually win.

I'm enjoying the show, I think Obama's home and dry but I'm not sure yet.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere - or perhaps it was on the radio when Romney pulled out - that 60% of Americans don't believe the theory of evolution. So I wouldn't count on Huckabee losing if he gets through to the final vote!

[(Anonymous)]

Does one "believe in the theory of evolution" like one might believe in the theory of "God"?

HH

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

Well, theories can be tested, and there is a fair amount of evidence to test the theory of evolution, but it is still a theory. Just a Newton's theory of gravity is just a theory - and now proven to be wrong!