Quote Originally Posted by Harlan Huckleby
Quote Originally Posted by Joemailman
If the nomination goes to the convention floor, anything can happen. If a couple of ballots fail to produce a winner, there is the possibility that all the pledged delegates could be released from their obligations.
I think a deadlocked convention is highly unlikely, but it just occurred to me that an obvious choice they might turn to would be Al Gore. He would be acceptable to a broad range of delegates, and would likely accept.

I don't think any of the candidates who were defeated in the primary would be considered.
Here's why I think the Dem nomination could go to the floor. 2025 delegates are needed to be nominated. In the Democratic Party, there are about 850 "super delegates". These are Dem members of the House and Senate, Governors, elected members of the DNC, and other party leaders. They are not pledged to any candidate. Normally they vote for the candidate who won their state's primary, but they are not required to do so. If my math is correct, this means that either Clinton or Obama would have to win about 63% of the delegates allocated from primaries and caucuses to sew up the nomination before the convention. If Clinton and Obama are virtually deadlocked heading into the convention, in essence the "super delegates" will choose the nominee. If either one has a clear advantage in number of delegates, but still short of the nomination, I suspect the "super delegates" will choose that person. If everything is deadlocked, they could try to find someone else that everyone can agree on. I agree that Gore would be a logical choice in that event.