2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

selection of the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 2020

The 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses were a series of elections by the Democratic Party to select the about 3,979 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Those delegates picked the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election.

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

← 2016 February 3 to June 23, 2020 2024 →

1,990 of 3,979[a] pledged delegate votes needed to win the presidential nomination at the convention's first ballot.[1]
(2,376 of all 4,750[b] delegate votes needed to win any subsequent ballots at a contested convention.)[1]
 
Candidate Joe Biden Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren
Home state Delaware Vermont Massachusetts
Delegate count 2,671 1,073 63
Contests won 46 9 0
Popular vote 18,015,274 9,443,990 2,780,873
Percentage 51.05% 26.76% 7.88%

 
Candidate Michael Bloomberg Pete Buttigieg Amy Klobuchar
Home state New York Indiana Minnesota
Delegate count 59 21 7
Contests won 1 1 0
Popular vote 2,475,130 912,214 524,400
Percentage 7.01% 2.58% 1.49%

 
Candidate Tulsi Gabbard
Home state Hawaii
Delegate count 2
Contests won 0
Popular vote 263,952
Percentage 0.75%


First place by popular vote

First place by national pledged delegates

Previous Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton

Democratic nominee

Joe Biden

The elections took place from February to August 2020 in all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad.

On June 5, 2020, Biden passed the threshold of 1,991 delegates, securing the nomination.[2]

Background change

The 2020 field of Democratic presidential candidates peaked at more than two dozen candidates.[3] According to Politifact, this field is believed to be the largest field of presidential candidates for any American political party since 1972;[c] it exceeds the field of 17 major candidates who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.[5]

In May 2019, CBS News referred to the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates as "the largest and most diverse Democratic primary field in modern history", including at least six female presidential candidates.[6]

Delegate votes change

The new superdelegate reforms also regulate how the 2020 Democratic National Convention shall handle the outcome of primaries and caucuses for three potential scenarios:

  1. If a single candidate wins at least 2,268 pledged delegates: Superdelegates will be allowed to vote at first ballot, as their influence can not overturn the majority of pledged delegates.
  2. If a single candidate wins 1,886–2,267 pledged delegates: Superdelegates will be barred from voting at first ballot, which solely will be decided by the will of pledged delegates.
  3. If no candidate wins more than 1,885 pledged delegates: This will result in a contested convention, where superdelegates are barred from voting at the first formal ballot, but regain their right to vote for their preferred presidential nominee for all subsequent ballots needed until the delegates reach a majority.

Candidates change

Nominees change

 
Democratic Party (United States)
2020 Democratic Party ticket
Joe Biden Kamala Harris
for President for Vice President
 
 
Vice President of the United States
(2009–2017)
U.S. senator from Delaware
(1973–2009)
Campaign
 

Withdrawn change

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the primaries
Bernie Sanders Tulsi Gabbard Elizabeth Warren Michael Bloomberg Amy Klobuchar Pete Buttigieg Tom Steyer
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. senator from Vermont
(2007–present)
U.S. representative from VT-AL
(1991–2007)
U.S. representative from HI-02
(2013–present)
U.S. senator from Massachusetts
(2013–present)
Mayor of New York City, New York
(2002–2013)
CEO of Bloomberg L.P.
U.S. senator from Minnesota
(2007–present)
Mayor of South Bend, Indiana
(2012–2020)
Hedge fund manager
Founder of Farallon Capital and Beneficial State Bank
             
Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign
W: April 8, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
8,466,161 votes
1,007 delegates

W: March 19, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
191,459 votes
2 delegates

W: March 5, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
2,607,928 votes
58 delegates

W: March 4, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
2,422,368 votes
43 delegates

W: March 2, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
494,695 votes
7 delegates

W: March 1, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
855,014 votes
21 delegates

W: February 29, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
248,875 votes


[7][8] [9][10] [11][12] [13][14] [15][16] [17][18] [19][20]
Deval Patrick Michael Bennet Andrew Yang John Delaney Cory Booker Marianne Williamson Julián Castro
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Governor of Massachusetts
(2007–2015)
U.S. senator from Colorado
(2009–present)
Entrepreneur
Founder of Venture for America
U.S. representative from MD-06
(2013–2019)
U.S. senator from New Jersey
(2013–present)
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
(2006–2013)
Author
Founder of Project Angel Food
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(2014–2017)
Mayor of San Antonio, Texas
(2009–2014)
             
Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign
W: February 12, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
19,630 votes

W: February 11, 2020


42,322 votes

W: February 11, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
108,313 votes

W: January 31, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
15,985 votes

W: January 13, 2020

(endorsed Biden)
28,913 votes

W: January 10, 2020

(endorsed Sanders)
21,437 votes

W: January 2, 2020

(endorsed Warren, then Biden)
36,277 votes

[21][22] [23][24] [25][26] [27][28] [29][30] [31][32] [33][34]
Kamala Harris Steve Bullock Joe Sestak Wayne Messam Beto O'Rourke Tim Ryan Bill de Blasio
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. senator from California
(2017–present)
Attorney General of California
(2011–2017)
Governor of Montana
(2013–present)
Attorney General of Montana
(2009–2013)
U.S. representative from PA-07
(2007–2011)
Former Vice Admiral of the United States Navy
Mayor of Miramar, Florida
(2015–present)
U.S. representative from TX-16
(2013–2019)
U.S. representative from OH-13
(2013–present)
U.S. representative from OH-17
(2003–2013)
Mayor of New York City, New York
(2014–present)
           
Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign
W: December 2, 2019


844 votes

W: December 3, 2019

(endorsed Biden)
549 votes

W: December 1, 2019

(endorsed Klobuchar)
5,251 votes

W: November 19, 2019


0 votes[d]

W: November 1, 2019

(endorsed Biden)
1 vote[d]

W: October 24, 2019

(endorsed Biden)
0 votes[d]

W: September 20, 2019

(endorsed Sanders)
0 votes[d]

[35][36] [37][38] [39][40] [41][42] [43][44] [45][46] [47][48]
Kirsten Gillibrand Seth Moulton Jay Inslee John Hickenlooper Mike Gravel Eric Swalwell Richard Ojeda
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. senator from New York
(2009–present)
U.S. representative from NY-20
(2007–2009)
U.S. representative from MA-06
(2015–present)
Governor of Washington
(2013–present)
U.S. representative from WA-01
(1999–2012)
U.S. representative from WA-04
(1993–1995)
Governor of Colorado
(2011–2019)
Mayor of Denver, Colorado
(2003–2011)
U.S. senator from Alaska
(1969–1981)
U.S. representative from CA-15
(2013–present)
West Virginia state senator from WV-SD07
(2016–2019)
           
Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign
W: August 28, 2019

(endorsed Biden)
0 votes[d]

W: August 23, 2019

(endorsed Biden)
0 votes[d]

W: August 21, 2019


1 vote[d]

W: August 15, 2019

(endorsed Bennet)
1 vote[d]

W: August 6, 2019

(endorsed Gabbard and Sanders)
0 votes[d]

W: July 8, 2019


0 votes[d]

W: January 25, 2019


0 votes[d]

[49][50] [51][52] [53][54] [55][56] [57][58] [59][60] [61][62]

Primary and caucus calendar change

 
Democratic primary and caucus calendar by currently scheduled date
  February
  March 3 (Super Tuesday)
  March 10
  March 14–17
  March 24–29
  April 4–7
  April 28
  May
  June
  No scheduled 2020 date
Date Total
Pledged Delegates
Primaries/Caucuses
February 3 41 Iowa caucuses
February 11 24 New Hampshire primary
February 22 36 Nevada caucuses
February 29 54 South Carolina primary
March 3
(Super Tuesday)
1,345 Alabama primary
American Samoa caucuses
Arkansas primary
California primary
Colorado primary voting period ends
Maine primary
Massachusetts primary
Minnesota primary
North Carolina primary
Oklahoma primary
Tennessee primary
Texas primary
Utah primary
Vermont primary
Virginia primary
March 10 365 Democrats Abroad party-run primary voting period ends
Idaho primary
Michigan primary
Mississippi primary
Missouri primary
North Dakota firehouse caucuses (party-run primary)
Washington primary voting period ends
March 14 6 Northern Mariana Islands caucuses
March 17 577 Arizona primary
Florida primary
Illinois primary
Ohio primary
March 24 105 Georgia primary
March 29 51 Puerto Rico primary
April 4 107 Alaska party-run primary
Hawaii party-run primary
Louisiana primary
Wyoming caucuses
April 7 84 Wisconsin primary
April 28 662 Connecticut primary
Delaware primary
Maryland primary
New York primary
Pennsylvania primary
Rhode Island primary
May 2 46 Guam caucuses
Kansas party-run primary
May 5 82 Indiana primary
May 12 57 Nebraska primary
West Virginia primary
May 19 115 Kentucky primary
Oregon primary
June 2 215 District of Columbia primary
Montana primary
New Jersey primary
New Mexico primary
South Dakota primary
June 6 7 United States Virgin Islands caucuses

Note: Due to COVID-19, most primaries after March 10 were rescheduled.

Timeline change

Active
campaign
Exploratory
committee
Suspended
campaign
Midterm
elections
Iowa
caucuses
New Hampshire
primary
Super
Tuesday
Final primaries
Democratic
convention
General
election

Convention change

The convention was scheduled to be held from July 13–16, 2020, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[63][64] Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held from August 17–20. Most speakers did not go to the central location. Instead, they joined the convention from other places, using the internet.[65]

Maps change

Map legend
     Joe Biden
     Michael Bloomberg
     Pete Buttigieg
     Amy Klobuchar
     Bernie Sanders
     Tom Steyer
     Elizabeth Warren
     Tie
     Winner not yet declared

Polling change

Polling aggregates
Source of poll aggregation Date updated Dates polled Biden Sanders Undecided[e]
270toWin Mar 19, 2020 Mar 11–18, 2020 [f] 55.0% 34.4% 10.6%
FiveThirtyEight Mar 19, 2020 Mar 8-17, 2020 [g] 51.5% 32.6% 15.9%
RealClear Politics Mar 19, 2020 Mar 8–16, 2020 55.7% 35.3% 9.0%
Average 54.1% 34.1% 11.8%

Notes change

  1. The overall number of pledged delegates is subject to change as possible penalties are not yet included.[1]
  2. The number of extra unpledged delegates (superdelegates), who after the first ballot at a contested convention participate in any subsequently needed nominating ballots (together with the 3,979 pledged delegates), was expected to be 771 as of December 2019, but the exact number of superdelegates is still subject to change due to possible deaths, resignations, accessions, or potential election as a pledged delegate.[1]
  3. Prior to the electoral reforms that took effect starting with the 1972 presidential elections, the Democrats used elite-run state conventions to choose convention delegates in two-thirds of the states, and candidates for the presidential nominee could be elected at the national convention of the party without needing to participate in any prior statewide election events.[4] Twenty-nine Democratic candidates announced their presidential candidacies prior to the 1924 Democratic National Convention,[5] and a record of 58 candidates received delegate votes during the 103 nominating ballots at that 17-day-long convention. In the post-reform era, more than three-quarters of the states used primary elections to choose delegates, and over 80% of convention delegates were selected in those primaries.[4] For more information, see McGovern–Fraser Commission.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Candidate did not appear on any ballots.
  5. Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined
  6. 270 to Win reports the date each poll was released, not the dates each poll was administered.
  7. Source aggregates polls with a trendline regression of polls rather than a strict average of recent polls.

References change

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