In
United States politics, a
brokered convention, alternately referred to as a
contested convention, and sometimes as an
open convention, is a situation in which no single candidate has secured a majority of delegates (whether those selected by
primary elections and caucuses, or
superdelegates) prior to the first vote for a political party's presidential candidate at its
nominating convention.
Once the first ballot, or vote, has occurred, and no candidate has a majority of the delegates' votes, the convention is then considered
brokered; thereafter, the nomination is decided through a process of alternating political
horse trading—(super) delegate vote trading—and additional re-votes.
[1][2][3][4] In this circumstance, all regular delegates (who may have been pledged to a particular candidate according to
rules which vary from state to state) are "released" and are able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate before the next round of balloting. It is hoped that this extra privilege extended to the delegates will result in a re-vote yielding a clear majority of delegates for one candidate. The term "brokered" implies a strong role for
political bosses, more common in the past and associated with deals made in proverbial "
smoke-filled rooms", while the term "contested" is a more modern term for a convention where no candidate holds a majority but the role of
party leaders is weaker in determining the eventual outcome.
[5]
Superdelegate votes are counted on the first ballot. Although the term "brokered convention" is sometimes used to refer to a convention where the outcome is decided by superdelegate votes rather than pledged delegates alone, this is not the original sense of the term. Like a brokered convention, the potentially decisive role played by superdelegates can often go against the popular vote from the primaries and caucuses.
