'Political Insider' Survey: Should Utah's Superdelegates Support Bernie Sanders?

Bernie Sanders thrashed Hillary Clinton in Utah's presidential caucus vote last month. Sanders won 27 of the state's 33 delegates while Clinton only got 6. However, the four "superdelegates" have evenly split their votes between the two candidates.

Party chair Peter Corroon and national committeeman Wayne Holland have committed to vote for Sanders at the Democratic National Convention while party vice-chair Breanne Miller and national committeewoman Rep. Patrice Arent are voting for Clinton.

The Republican insiders on our panel and UtahPolicy.com's readers think the superdelegates should make their votes reflect the results of the caucus vote while our Democratic insiders think the superdelegates should be able to vote their conscience.

Selected anonymous comments:

"They have to go for Sanders. If not, it will cause people in the party to feel disenfranchised, and that is the last thing Dems in Utah need. It calls into question the very existence of superdelegates."

"Superdelegates are elected by the state delegates who attended the 2012 State Democratic Convention. Anyone can run to be a state delegate. Interesting fact - With the two superdelegates committed to Sanders included, Sanders received 78.4% of the TOTAL Utah delegates, and he won 77.2% of the caucus. That is due to the system which requires delegates to be divided by congressional district and not cut in half."

"People still have the right to vote their opinion."

"Going against voters' wishes is NOT good for the Party."

"The whole purpose behind super delegates is to stop wackos and nut cases like Sanders."

"715 super delegates are 30% of the delegates needed to nominate. That's too much influence by the party bosses."

"This is a really tough question, but I believe these delegates understand a lot more than we realize and we have to trust their decisions."

"We must remind our political leaders that they should represent the PEOPLE if the voters speak their wishes should be respected."

"Of course, they should. Unless super delegates exist only to put a heavy thumb on the scales of democracy. That's not what they are for, right? Wait, what exactly are they for again?"

"They should use their best judgment; that's what delegates are supposed to do."

"Superdelegates were never intended to be democratic. They're expected to look at the bigger picture and vote for the candidate they believe will be best for the party and the country. If they believe Hillary is that candidate, Hillary should get their vote."

"Just do away from the idea of super delegates. It is a concept that needs to be buried and replaced by a full voter primary system."

"I agree with the common criticism that the Republican majority in the Utah Legislature frequently represents a vocal minority rather than even most Republicans, let alone the whole state. Democratic criticism of this will be blunted by the hypocrisy of the superdelegates this year. If the Sanders/Clinton vote had been 55-45, I think you have the rationale for split superdelegates. At 80-20, it smacks of elitism."

"The rules allow the super delegates to vote for their personal choice, but whether they should or not is a problem for thousands of supporters of Bernie Sanders."

"The fact that superdelegates could pick the nominee over the will of the people should have everyone in the Democrat Party looking for the door. It is time for a third party; the Democrat Party is too corrupt to survive any longer. It has become a cancer."

"The current system of "superdelegates" is undemocratic and allows a few party elites to override the will of voters. If there are to be such delegates, then they should reflect the will of the electorate."

"I think that they should vote 80/20, just like the presidential preference vote. I support Hillary, but Democrats need to be democratic."

"Superdelegates should follow the rules set forth by the political party. They shouldn't feel obligated to change their vote based on pressure from a candidate with unrealistic policy objectives."

"Since when do Democrats ignore the clear voice of the people?"

"The whole concept of superdelegates should be eliminated. All people are of equal importance. Just because you are a leader should not give you the power to ignore the people!"

"What's the fun of party politics if you can't find ways to wiggle away from the voters?"

"Superdelegates should be able to vote for whoever they want."

"Superdelegates are different than the regular delegates that are given based on the percentage of votes. They are delegates given to political party insiders. As such, they have no requirement to follow the caucus vote. Bernie Sanders isn't a Democrat. He chose to run as one because of the structure. As such, why would superdelegates give their votes to someone who is not truly a member of the party they are representing. If people don't like it--change the system and get rid of superdelegates."

"Hillary Clinton has received more votes than Sanders so far in primaries which she has mostly won. Most of Sanders wins have been in states that use the caucus approach which is a flawed system which is not actually representative of the general electorate. Hillary should win the nomination outright, and that's the general feeling of the more pragmatic superdelegates who support her."

"Unless they wish to show how rigged the system really is, they should vote like the citizens in Utah have."

"Superdelegates disenfranchise voters at the same time the left is screaming about voter ID laws. Does the Democrat Party understand the definition of irony?"

"Superdelegates are different than regular delegates. They have the prerogative to vote for who they best believe will represent Utah as president."