How many delegates does Massachusetts have, and how are they awarded? What to know for the 2024 primary
BOSTON – When determining which candidates get nominated as their party's presidential nominee, it all comes down to delegates. Which candidate is awarded the most delegates through the primary and caucus process? Let's look at how Massachusetts figures into the delegate puzzle.
How many delegates are there?
When you add up every state, there are thousands of primary delegates on both the Republican and Democratic sides. Nearly 2,500 delegates will be voting at the Republican National Convention. Nearly 4,000 delegates will be voting at the Democratic National Convention.
There are delegates assigned by the popular vote of each state, delegates assigned by the popular vote of a particular district, and delegates that aren't bound by the popular vote at all.
How many delegates does Massachusetts have in 2024?
For the 2024 primary, Massachusetts has 43 delegates on the Republican side. Forty of those are pledged based on voting results. Three party leaders will also attend the Republican National Convention as pledged delegates.
There are a total of 116 Massachusetts delegates who will attend the Democratic National Convention. Ninety-two of those are pledged based on voting results; the other 24 are unpledged.
How does Massachusetts award its Democratic delegates for primaries?
The way delegates are awarded varies from state to state, and party to party. On the Democratic side, every state's delegates are awarded according to the percentage of votes each candidate received. A candidate must receive at least 15% of the vote to be awarded any delegates.
From there, the formula gets more complicated. Of the 92 pledged Democratic delegates in Massachusetts, 60 are awarded based on the voting results in each congressional district. The rest are awarded based on the statewide result.
Additionally, there are 24 unpledged Democratic delegates from Massachusetts. At the DNC, unpledged delegates can technically vote for any candidate, but are only allowed to vote on the first ballot if the race is not closely contested.
How does Massachusetts award its Republican delegates for primaries?
On the Republican side, the allocation of delegates varies from state to state. States can decide to award delegates proportionally, on a winner-takes-all basis, or some combination of the two.
In Massachusetts, if a candidate receives 50 percent or more of the vote, they receive all the delegates. If there is no majority winner in the state, delegates are assigned proportionally to any candidate receiving at least 10 percent of total votes.
When will delegates vote?
Delegates vote at their party's national convention. The 2024 Republican National Convention takes place July 15-18 in Milwaukee. The 2024 Democratic National Convention takes place August 19-22 in Chicago.