HELENA — Following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign, the official vote to award the Democratic presidential nomination now relies on thousands of delegates from across the country — including a few dozen from Montana.
Montana is slated to send approximately 25 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. They are part of the nearly 4,000 delegates who will be voting for the party’s presidential nominee — possibly in a “virtual roll call” several weeks before the convention.
The Montana Democratic Party selected its delegates in June during their state convention in Havre.
Biden was the sole Democratic presidential candidate on the primary ballot in Montana. In the June election, he secured 91% of the Democratic vote, with 9% opting for “no preference.”
The majority of delegates — both nationally and in Montana — were pledged to Biden. Following his withdrawal from the race, they were released from their pledge, though Biden urged them to rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Several state delegations declared on Monday that they had already endorsed Harris, and reports from national media indicated that the vice president had garnered the backing of about half the required number of delegates to clinch the nomination.
On Sunday, the Montana Democratic Party issued a statement expressing gratitude to Biden for his years of public service and pledging to diligently support candidates at all levels of the ballot.
However, the party has yet to disclose the decision of their delegates. A party spokesperson informed MTN on Monday that they are holding off on any action until they receive further guidance from the Democratic National Committee regarding the convention procedures.
