Here’s what happens to the 2020 dropouts’ delegates – By Zach Montellaro (Politico) / March 4 2020
Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar’s delegates can vote their consciences, and dropping out also cuts down their numbers.
Mike Bloomberg had a disastrous Super Tuesday that ultimately spelled the end of his campaign. But he didn’t come away entirely empty-handed.
The former New York City mayor won 53 delegates and counting, according to the most recent tally. Combined with the delegates won by Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, over 85 pledged delegates were awarded to a candidate no longer in the race. And now, with the remaining candidates racing to hit the magic number of 1,991 pledged delegates to win the nomination, questions abound about what happens to the delegates of the candidates who have stepped aside.
The answer to that question only matters if there’s a contested convention, and that possibility is shrinking rapidly as the presidential field narrows. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are the runaway delegate leaders and will likely stretch that advantage in the coming weeks, especially with Elizabeth Warren considering ending her campaign — though Biden, the current leader, is short of a majority of the pledged delegates awarded so far.
There are two important things to know about what happens to delegates of dropped-out candidates: First, no one can tell them how to vote. And second, because the candidate dropped out, they will actually get fewer delegates than they would have if they stayed in.
Continue to article: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/04/bloomberg-buttigieg-klobuchar-dropouts-delegates-121442
