2020 Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary
The 2020 Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary was originally scheduled to take place on April 28, 2020, as one of several northeastern states in the "Acela primary" voting on the same date in the Democratic Party presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the primary was delayed to June 2.[1] The Rhode Island primary is a semi-closed primary, with the state awarding 35 delegates, of whom 26 are pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the primary results. Joe Biden won the primary with 76.7% of the vote. Bernie Sanders, who had suspended his campaign two months earlier, received 14.9%.
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35 Democratic National Convention delegates (26 pledged, 9 unpledged) The number of pledged delegates won is determined by the popular vote | |||||||||||||||||||
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Procedure
Rhode Island was planned to join several northeastern states in holding primaries on the same date (April 28),[2] often dubbed the "Acela primary" in reference to the namesake Amtrak service.[3] On March 23, 2020, Governor Gina Raimondo, at the request of the board of elections, joined several other states in delaying the primary until June 2 due to the coronavirus pandemic.[1]
Voting took place throughout the state from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. In the semi-closed primary, candidates must meet a threshold of 15% at the congressional district or statewide level to be considered viable. The 26 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention will be allocated proportionally on the basis of the results of the primary. Of the 26 pledged delegates, 7 each are allocated to both of the state's 2 congressional districts and another 3 are allocated to party leaders and elected officials (PLEO delegates), in addition to 4 at-large pledged delegates. These delegate totals do not account for pledged delegate bonuses or penalties from timing or clustering.[4]
District-level delegates are listed on the presidential primary ballot. Should candidates have been entitled to more delegates based on the primary results of the primary than eligible delegates presented, then additional delegates would have been designated at a special post-primary caucus at the state convention, which would have occurred on May 17. It would also have voted on the 4 pledged at-large and 3 PLEO delegates to send to the Democratic National Convention. The 21 pledged delegates Rhode Island sends to the national convention will be joined by 9 unpledged PLEO delegates (4 members of the Democratic National Committee; 4 members of Congress, including both Senators and U.S. Representatives; and the governor).[4]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 79,728 | 76.7% | 25 |
| Bernie Sanders (suspended) | 15,525 | 14.9% | 1 |
| Elizabeth Warren (withdrawn) | 4,479 | 4.3% | |
| Andrew Yang (withdrawn) | 802 | 0.8% | |
| Tulsi Gabbard (withdrawn) | 651 | 0.6% | |
| Write-in | 936 | 0.9% | |
| Uncommitted | 1,861 | 1.8% | |
| Total | 103,982 | 100% | 26 |
References
- Dzhanova, Yelena; Pramuk, Jacob (March 23, 2020). "Rhode Island is the latest state to postpone its 2020 primary as coronavirus outbreak spreads". CNBC.
- Putnam, Josh. "The 2020 Presidential Primary Calendar". Frontloading HQ. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- Thompson, Steve; Nirappil, Fenit (February 6, 2019). "D.C. is slated to vote last in 2020 Democratic primaries. That might change". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- "Rhode Island Democratic Delegation 2020". The Green Papers. May 3, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- "RI.gov: Election Results". RI.gov. Rhode Island Secretary of State. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "2020 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions: Rhode Island Democrat". The Green Papers. Retrieved 8 July 2020.