SAN ANTONIO – All eyes are on Tuesday.
Texas is one of 14 states holding their primary election on Super Tuesday. The voters in those states will decide on the nominees for their prospective parties.
On the presidential level, President Donald J. Trump will surely secure the delegates needed to run for reelection. But for the Democrats, Super Tuesday will make or break them.
Here’s everything you need to know about Super Tuesday.
What is Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday has been a fixture in United States politics since 1984. Though the process varies from year to year, the collection of states holding their primary at the same time helps establish a front-runner in the presidential primary.
This year, 1,357 pledged delegates are up for grabs.
To secure the nomination, a presidential candidate has to secure 1,991 delegates.
Is the process the same for Republicans and Democrats?
While voters cast their ballot all the same, the Republican and Democratic parties have different rules for how delegates are awarded.
In the Republican Party, whoever wins a state’s primary wins every delegate of that state.
But Democrats award delegates proportionately to their candidates. But the Democratic Party also has unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates.
There are roughly 700 superdelegates who can endorse the candidate of their choosing, regardless of how their state voted.
How many delegates does each state have?
Each state’s delegates depends its size.
Texas is the second biggest state in Super Tuesday. The Lone Star State holds 228 pledged delegates and 33 superdelegates.
California leads the way, however, with 415 pledged delegates and 79 superdelegates.
North Carolina comes in third with 110 pledged delegates and 12 superdelegates.
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