This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
— I am honoring my responsibility as a Democratic superdelegate — Patrice Arent | For The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... My position as a superdelegate is based on my election as Utah's Democratic National Committeewoman by state delegates, who were selected in their 2012 neighborhood precinct caucus meetings. This position is unrelated to my service in the Utah Legislature. The delegates who elected me to that position understood that one of my responsibilities as National Committeewoman is to use my best judgment to help select the Democratic Party's nominee for president. It is in that role that I have committed to cast my vote for Clinton. ..."
— Utah superdelegates split for Bernie Sanders despite big win among caucus voters — Matt Canham | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Utah's last undecided Democratic superdelegate threw his support behind Bernie Sanders on Wednesday, and the state party finalized its tally from last week's presidential caucuses, in which a high turnout led to a lengthy vote-counting process.
"That result remains largely unchanged: a massive victory by Sanders, the Vermont senator, who claimed 77 percent of the vote, over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who received 20 percent. As early voting predicted, Sanders won 27 delegates while Clinton earned 6.
"On top of those pledged delegates tied to the caucus votes of 81,600 Utahns, four party officials hold the special designation of superdelegate, allowing them to support either candidate as they see fit. They split between the candidates.
"Wayne Holland, Utah's Democratic committeeman, was the last holdout, and as such received a barrage of calls and emails, some combative — and he engaged. In one such exchange, Holland, a former chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, wrote: 'I have known and been an advocate of Bernie for 18 years, which is most likely much longer than many of his current supporters even knew that Bernie even existed.'...
" ... The current party chairman, Peter Corroon, is also backing Sanders, tying his vote to Utah's caucus results. Clinton received the support of Utah Democratic Party Vice Chairwoman Breanne Miller and Democratic Committeewoman Patrice Arent, both saying she is the most qualified candidate, having previously served as secretary of state, a senator from New York and first lady. Miller and Arent have heard from Sanders supporters who want them to switch allegiances, but they are not budging. ..."
— 'Political Insider' Survey: Should Utah's Superdelegates Support Bernie Sanders? — Bryan Schott | Utah Policy.com
" ... The Republican insiders on our panel and UtahPolicy.com's readers think the superdelegates should make their votes reflect the results of the caucus vote while our Democratic insiders think the superdelegates should be able to vote their conscience. ..."
— Democratic Superdelegates: How the Party Learned to Start Worrying and Fear Its Voters — Eleanor Clift | The Daily Beast
"The main thing to know about superdelegates is that Republicans don't have them—which they're regretting as the Trump train comes crashing down the tracks.
"The Democratic Party created its firewall of 'ex-officio delegates' as a hedge against the kind of electoral disaster the party suffered in 1972 when candidate George McGovern lost in a landslide.
McGovern had won the nomination in a grassroots uprising energized by opposition to the Vietnam War and social movements for civil rights and women's rights. Republicans dubbed him the candidate of amnesty, abortion, and acid. ...
" ... Democratic Party activist Mark Siegel was part of the ABM effort (Anybody But McGovern), and served on all three commissions. He wrote the rule that emerged calling for 10 percent of the delegates to be party officials — governors, mayors, members of Congress and distinguished party leaders like former presidential candidates and former national party chairs. The Democratic National Committee then added its members, some 300 additional people, boosting the percentage of these uncommitted superdelegates to 15 percent of the total delegates.
" 'Supers are a hedge against disaster,' Siegel told the Daily Beast. " 'These are people who by virtue of the office they hold should be included. They're legitimate… It gives the party some wiggle room to avoid electoral catastrophe.'..."
— The (Un)Democratic Party — Charles M. Blow | The New York Times
" ... This system is unjust, in part because those superdelegates are not prohibited from declaring their loyalty before voting has ended. At the very least, they should be barred from committing before voting is completed in their own states. ..."
— Superdelegates are everything that's wrong with the Democratic Party — Michael Winship | Billmoyers.com | Salon
" ... the party's elite is as clueless about the disillusionment of the party's traditional base as the GOP establishment has been about Donald Trump's ascent. At their peril, the muckety-mucks of both parties ignore the anger and resist the demand for change that have fueled not only Trump but the Bernie Sanders phenomenon as well, albeit the Sanders movement is as progressive as Trump's is brutish. ..."
— Why Don't Superdelegates Vote According To The Will Of Voters? — Jason Linkins | Huffington Post
"Because that wouldn't make them 'super.'"
— Superdelegates won't save Hillary Clinton from Bernie Sanders — Chris Cizzilla | The Washington Post
— Sanders supporters revolt against superdelegates — Daniel Strauss | Politico
— Superdelegates Might Not Save Hillary Clinton: But they could tip the balance to her in a close race — Nate Silver | FiveThirtyEight
— Bernie Sanders backers slap superdelegates with ultimatum to ditch Hillary Clinton — Jim Brunner | The Seattle Times