Superdelegate Says He Will Support Hillary Until She Cuts the Strings

image
Published: 08 Apr, 2016
2 min read

During an interview with Bloomberg's Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Kansas City Mayor Sly James talked about, among other things, the Democratic presidential race and his role as a superdelegate. A committed Hillary Clinton supporter, James said it is his obligation to stay loyal to her and make sure other superdelegates who have committed to her do the same.

"I will be doing everything I can to convince other delegates and to make sure superdelegates are holding the line in order to make sure that those who support Hillary Clinton are loyal to that support," James said.

James went on to say that his support for Hillary Clinton is not conditioned on the pledged delegate count. So, even if Sanders found a way to overtake her lead in both pledged delegates and total votes, James said he will remain loyal to his candidate.

"I will remain a superdelegate for Hillary Clinton until she releases me from that obligation," he said.

As reported multiple times on IVN, superdelegates are not bound to the will of voters, and under party rules have no obligation to switch their vote if the pledged delegate count or primary/caucus vote shifts in the favor of another candidate.

James is from a state that was evenly split between Clinton and Sanders, Missouri, and is the mayor of a city that was also pretty well split, so he is under no pressure to shift allegiances. Yet he is not the only superdelegate to say that the will of voters doesn't matter -- even in states that were overwhelmingly won by Sanders.

"Super delegates don't "represent people"; I'm not elected by anyone," former Vermont Governor Howard Dean said in a tweet back in March, responding to a voter who called him out for sticking to Clinton despite Sanders winning the state with over 80 percent of the vote.

Dean is right. Superdelegates are not elected to that position, though several of them are elected officials at all levels of government, including U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, who is also from Vermont and said he will remain committed to Clinton no matter what, and Mayor Sly James.

However, many of the superdelegates who have stated that the will of voters is inconsequential to who they will support at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia make it sound like they were appointed with the explicit purpose of supporting Clinton. James said he will support her until she releases him of that obligation, making it sound like Clinton herself appointed him.

IVP Donate

In some ways, this is partially true, since Clinton has spent the last 8 years building a superdelegate base that will remain loyal to her to avoid a repeat of 2008.

James said he does not think the process is undemocratic and believes the system is working. He remarked that these rules were established by the party, created by delegates and superdelegates and officials in the party, and as long as it is part of the rules, he is going to stay loyal to his candidate.

You Might Also Like

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
California Prop 50 gets an F
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read