2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries
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| 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries | |
|---|---|
 Ali Zifan, Prcc27, AHC300, Jc86035, Abjiklam, Magog the Ogre, Sleepingstar, Jvik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Election name | 2016 Democratic primaries |
| Country | United States |
| Type | presidential |
| Previous election | 2008 Democratic primaries |
| Previous year | 2008 |
| Next election | 2020 Democratic primaries |
| Next year | 2020 |
| Election date | February–June 2016 |
2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries The 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries selected delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention and nominated Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate for 2016 United States presidential election. The contest featured a lengthy battle between Clinton and Bernie Sanders, with contests held in every U.S. state, several territories, and among Democrats Abroad, culminating in a delegate count that made Clinton the presumptive nominee. The primaries were influenced by debates, endorsements, fundraising, and controversies that affected the subsequent general election against Donald Trump.
Background and candidates
The primaries followed the political careers of prominent Democrats including Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State and Senator from New York, and Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont. Other declared candidates included Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland; Lincoln Chafee, former Senator from Rhode Island and Governor of Rhode Island; Jim Webb, former Senator from Virginia; and Lawrence Lessig, academic and activist. High-profile Democrats who considered running or were mentioned included Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Cuomo, Jeb Bush (Republican), Chris Christie (Republican), Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Al Gore, John Kerry, Howard Dean, Dianne Feinstein, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders' staff, Hillary Clinton's staff, and party leaders such as Tom Perez and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Endorsements and alliances involved organizations like the Democratic National Committee, MoveOn.org, Laborers' International Union of North America, Service Employees International Union, Communications Workers of America, Planned Parenthood, EMILY's List, American Federation of Teachers, and political action committees including Priorities USA Action.
Primary schedule and electoral process
The schedule began with the Iowa Democratic caucuses, followed by the New Hampshire Democratic primary, the Nevada Democratic caucuses, and the South Carolina Democratic primary, known as the "First in the Nation" sequence. The calendar included state primaries in California, New York, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands. Democrats Abroad held voting through the Democrats Abroad primary. The process was governed by DNC rules, superdelegate procedures, proportional allocation, and the Fairfax County Democratic Committee-style precinct operations. Debates were organized by bodies including CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, ABC News, CBS News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Bloomberg LP under DNC-approved criteria. Voter eligibility and registration were administered by state election offices such as the New York State Board of Elections and the California Secretary of State.
Campaigns and key issues
Campaigns emphasized policy debates over health care, where candidates compared positions on the Affordable Care Act, single-payer proposals, and public options; economic issues including Wall Street, Dodd–Frank, income inequality, minimum wage, and Bernie Sanders' economic platform; foreign policy topics like the Iraq War, Afghanistan War, relations with Russia, the Iran nuclear deal, and responses to ISIS. Social issues included LGBT rights, abortion, racial justice concerns connected to Black Lives Matter, criminal justice reform, and immigration reform anchored by debates over DACA. Campaigns used fundraising through entities including ActBlue, small-dollar online donations, and major fundraising events involving political figures like Bill Clinton and organizations such as the Clinton Foundation. Media strategies engaged outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, and digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The campaign period saw investigative reporting by The Intercept, ProPublica, Politico, and The Huffington Post, and controversies over Clinton's email practices and wikileaks releases affecting campaign dynamics.
Primary and caucus results
The initial contest in Iowa yielded a close result followed by a decisive Clinton victory in New Hampshire or Sanders' momentum depending on reporting; Nevada and South Carolina shifted delegate math with Nevada caucuses favoring Sanders and Clinton respectively in South Carolina. Major contests on Super Tuesday—which included California, Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Colorado caucuses—produced substantial delegate hauls that helped Clinton accumulate pledged delegates. Sanders won several states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, Colorado, and parts of the West Coast but fell short of clinching the nomination. Territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam contributed pledged delegates. The contests were marked by turnout trends in places like Milwaukee and Phoenix, and demographic splits visible in exit polls across African American communities, Latino communities, and younger voters in college towns including Burlington, Vermont, Ithaca, New York, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Delegate allocation and controversies
Delegates were allocated proportionally under DNC rules, with pledged delegates apportioned by primary and caucus results and superdelegates—party leaders and elected officials—exercising unpledged influence. Controversies included debates over superdelegate power, internal DNC communications revealed by WikiLeaks showing interactions involving Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC email leak, and subsequent resignation of Wasserman Schultz as DNC Chair. Accusations of bias surfaced involving meetings between DNC staff and Clinton allies, prompting calls for reform from activists and figures like Bernie Sanders' supporters, Elizabeth Warren (who commented on party unity), and progressive organizations including Our Revolution. Allegations of unequal debate scheduling, media coverage disparities involving outlets such as CNN and MSNBC, and procedural disputes in state caucuses—most notably in Nevada and Michigan—fueled litigation threats and Federal Election Commission complaints. Reforms proposed post-contest involved recommendations from the Democratic National Committee Unity Reform Commission and were debated by figures like Tom Perez and Keith Ellison.
Impact on the general election and aftermath
The primary contest reshaped the Democratic Party's policy platform presented at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and influenced staffing and messaging for the general election against Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence. Clinton's nomination led to a coalition-focused campaign that emphasized continuity with Barack Obama's policies, while Sanders' movement energized progressive groups and influenced Democratic platforms on issues such as Medicare for All and tuition-free college. The aftermath included scrutiny of primary procedures, DNC leadership changes culminating in the election of Tom Perez as DNC Chair, and ongoing debates within the party about electability versus ideological purity involving figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The general election outcome, with Trump defeating Clinton in the Electoral College while Clinton won the popular vote, prompted analyses from scholars at institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Brookings Institution, and The Pew Charitable Trusts about the primary’s effects on turnout, messaging, and party unity. The 2016 primaries also catalyzed longer-term movements within the Democratic Party evident in the 2018 midterms and the 2020 Democratic primary field featuring candidates such as Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders (again), Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Kamala Harris.