To become the Democratic Party’s nominee, a candidate needs to win a majority of the party’s delegates. Here’s how that happens.

To become the Democratic Partys nominee, a candidate needs to win a majority of the partys delegates. Five candidates appear to have earned delegates from the first two contests: former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg (23), Sen. Bernie Sanders (21), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (8), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (7) and former vice president Joe Biden (6).
Heres how the delegate process unfolds.
Democrats divide their 3,979 pledged delegates among the states, the District of Columbia, territories and other jurisdictions without electoral votes. That is based on a formula that takes into account both population and the Democratic Partys strength in particular jurisdictions. (While Massachusetts and Tennessee have similar populations and 11 votes each in the electoral college, more people vote for Democrats in the former than the latter, so Massachusetts has 91 pledged delegates and Tennessee has 64.)
Those delegates are then pledged to candidates on the basis of results in primaries and caucuses.
3,979
4,000 delegates
3,000
2,000
Super Tuesday
1,357 delegates
1,000
0
FEB.
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
3,979
4,000 delegates
3,000
2,000
Super Tuesday
1,357 delegates
1,000
Iowa Caucuses
41 delegates
0
FEB.
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
3,979
4,000 delegates
3,000
2,000
Super Tuesday
1,357 delegates
1,000
Iowa Caucuses
41 delegates
0
FEB.
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
Republican primaries have been canceled in some states, and the state parties have endorsed President Trump. While he has primary opponents, no polls have found levels of support that would challenge his nomination.
The first 41 Democratic delegates will be awarded in Iowa, on Feb. 3 then 24 from New Hampshire, 36 from Nevada and 54 from South Carolina through the rest of the month. Then comes Super Tuesday, March 3, when 14 states, plus American Samoa and Democrats abroad, hold primaries and award a whopping 1,357 delegates. As of that date, votes will have been cast that determine 38 percent of available pledged delegates.
March 3
Super Tuesday: 1,357
The rest of the primaries: 2,467
Next three
early states: 114
(New Hampshire, South Carolina,Nevada)
March 3
Super Tuesday: 1,357
The rest of the primaries: 2,467
Next three early states: 114
(New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada)
A number of factors make the delegate story more complicated:

• A quarter of each states delegates are awarded on the basis of the statewide vote, and three-quarters are usually awarded on the basis of results by congressional district. (Sometimes, particularly in states with just one congressional district, theyre awarded on the basis of results from a smaller jurisdiction, such as state legislative district.)
• A candidate must hit 15 percent support to win delegates, either statewide or in a congressional district or smaller district. That can be difficult to achieve in a field as large as this years Democratic class. For example, if one candidate gets 40 percent support statewide, another gets 15 percent support, two others get 14 percent and others get less, only the first two will split the statewide delegates, proportionately.
• There are still superdelegates party officials and leaders and establishment figures but their role has been reduced as part of changes the Democratic National Committee made after the 2016 primaries. According to the new rules, superdelegates will not participate in the first vote at the Democrats nominating convention unless one candidate has a majority of the pledged delegates. If the nomination isnt settled going into the convention, the superdelegates votes then would factor into the selection of a nominee beginning with the second ballot.

Every states Democratic delegate total

About this story: Data from the Green Papers and Josh Putnam of Frontloading HQ.