Wyoming Democratic caucuses, 2016
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The 2016 Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses were held on April 9 in the U.S. state of
Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
, representing the first tier of the Wyoming Democratic Party's nomination contest for the
2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...
. Only registered Democrats were allowed to participate in the closed precinct caucuses. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the contest with 55.7% of the county delegates, distancing the national frontrunner, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
by more than 10%. Following a series of primary wins, the Wyoming vote further boosted his momentum, ten days ahead of the important New York primary. At the May 28 state convention, the two candidates split the 14 pledged delegates evenly. Sanders was widely expected to win an outright majority of the delegates in the least populous and most Republican-leaning U.S. state, though no opinion polls had been conducted. Clinton enjoyed the support of the four party leaders attending the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
as unpledged "
superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
," improving upon her performance in her first candidacy in the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, although this time she didn't campaign in person. After the Republican Party already held their own Wyoming caucuses earlier in March, no other primaries were scheduled for that day by either party.


Background


Political landscape

Wyoming is the least populous of all 50 U.S. states. With less than 30% of the population identifying with or leaning towards the Democratic Party, compared to almost 60% identifying with or leaning towards the Republicans, it is also the most solid Republican state, ahead of
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
and
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. In the
2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January ...
, incumbent President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
received less than 28% of the Wyoming vote, trailing Mitt Romney by more than 40 points, after running unopposed in the Democratic caucuses. In his first presidential election in 2008, running against Republican candidate John McCain, he received 32.5% of the vote, after defeating
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in the Wyoming caucuses with 61% of the popular vote. In her first candidacy Clinton had surprisingly made Wyoming a focus of her campaign, joining both her daughter
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and husband
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in a final campaign sprint.


2016 campaign

Though no
opinion polls An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...
have been conducted in Wyoming, Bernie Sanders was expected to win a clear majority of the 14 pledged delegates. Ten days ahead of the important New York primary, Sanders hoped to extend his series of wins. National frontrunner
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, who enjoyed the support of the four party leaders attending the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
as unpledged "
superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
," though she time didn't campaign in Wyoming in person. Instead, her campaign sent her husband, former President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
to hold a stump speech in
Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...
's Kiwanis Community House, which was attended by some 500 people., more than the final reported turnout of 280.


Procedure


First-tier county caucuses

As these are closed caucuses, only residents registered as Democratic Party affiliates could participate in the nomination process. Registration was possible at the county clerks' offices by March 25, and was open to 17 year old residents turning 18 by the November 8 presidential election. Except for the registration, the caucuses are fully administered by the Wyoming Democratic Party, and are held at 11 a.m. local time ( MDT) in each of Wyoming's 23 counties.


State convention pledging national delegates

The first-tier county caucuses elected 280 state delegates to the Wyoming Democratic Party's state convention, took place on May 28. There, all present state delegates nominated the national delegates to the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
. While Wyoming's Democrats sent 18 delegates to the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
, only 14 out of these will be pledged to the candidates in proportion to the electorate's preferences. The remaining four Wyoming delegates are unpledged "Party Leaders and Elected Officials" (PLEOs), or "
Superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
", who may vote for whomever they wish at the party's upcoming National Convention. Out of the 14 pledged delegates, eight district-level delegates pledged to one of the candidates in proportion to the support received at all 23 caucuses of Wyoming's single
congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
. Another six delegates are pledged at the 28 May State Convention, in proportion to the support each candidate receives there. Candidates with less than 15% support were discarded for being "not viable".


Superdelegates

The state party's four
superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
, Ana Cuprill, Mike Gierau, Mary Hales and Bruce Palmer, are members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and have previously endorsed Clinton.


Results

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders won the contest with 55.7% of the county delegates. The two candidates were however expected to split the 14 pledged delegates evenly, though the final apportionment took place at the May 28 state convention, and depended on all elected county delegates showing up. Clinton enjoyed the support of the four party leaders attending the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
as unpledged "
superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
," improved upon her performance in her first candidacy in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.


Detailed results per county

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, 2 , 1 , 1 , - , Fremont , 20 , 10 , 10 , - , Goshen , 5 , 2 , 3 , - , Hot Springs , 2 , 1 , 1 , - ,
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Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
, 6 , 3 , 3 , - , Natrona , 38 , 18 , 20 , - , Niobrara , 2 , 2 , 0 , - , Park , 13 , 8 , 5 , - , Platte , 3 , 2 , 1 , - , Sheridan , 14 , 7 , 7 , - , Sublette , 4 , 3 , 1 , - , Sweetwater , 22 , 12 , 10 , - , Teton , 15 , 9 , 6 , - , Uinta , 9 , 5 , 4 , - ,
Washakie Washakie (1804/1810 – February 20, 1900) was a prominent leader of the Shoshone people during the mid-19th century. He was first mentioned in 1840 in the written record of the American fur trapper, Osborne Russell. In 1851, at the urging o ...
, 3 , 1 , 2 , - ,
Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * ...
, 2 , 1 , 1 , - ! Total ! 280 ! 156 ! 124


See also

* 2016 Wyoming Republican presidential caucuses


References

{{2016 Democratic primaries
Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
Democratic caucuses
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...