Bernie Sanders is on a crash course with the Congressional Black Caucus.

In a letter sent to both the Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigns, the CBC is expressing its resolute opposition to two key reforms demanded by Sanders in the run-up to the Democratic convention: abolishing the party’s superdelegate system and opening Democratic primaries up to independents and Republicans.


"The Democratic Members of the Congressional Black Caucus recently voted unanimously to oppose any suggestion or idea to eliminate the category of Unpledged Delegate to the Democratic National Convention (aka Super Delegates) and the creation of uniform open primaries in all states," says the letter , which was obtained by POLITICO. "The Democratic Party benefits from the current system of unpledged delegates to the National Convention by virtue of rules that allow members of the House and Senate to be seated as a delegate without the burdensome necessity of competing against constituents for the honor of representing the state during the nominating process."

The letter — which was also sent to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz — follows a Wednesday CBC meeting where members discussed for over an hour the impact of eliminating superdelegates on the African-American community, according to CBC Chairman Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.).

"We passed a resolution in our caucus that we would vehemently oppose any change in the superdelegate system because members of the CBC might want to participate in the Democratic convention as delegates but if we would have to run for the delegate slot at the county level or state level or district level, we would be running against our constituents and we're not going to do that,” said Butterfield. “But we want to participate as delegates and that's why this superdelegates system was created in the beginning, so members would not have to run against their own constituents."

The opposition to open primaries is based on the fear that allowing independent or Republican voters to participate in Democratic primaries would dilute minority voting strength in many places.

The superdelegate system has been a flashpoint throughout the campaign. Sanders and his supporters have railed against the unelected superdelegates, who have the freedom to back any candidate they choose. This year, the vast majority of them have endorsed Clinton — many of them before the first votes of the primary season were even cast. In states where Sanders has won the popular vote but not the support of the state’s superdelegates, it’s led to deep resentment at the grassroots level and fueled claims that the nominating process was rigged.

In Wyoming, for example, despite defeating Clinton in the state's April 9 Democratic caucuses by 56 percent to 44 percent, Sanders actually suffered a net delegate loss because the state’s four superdelegates all backed Clinton.

According to the Associated Press, Clinton currently has the support of 587 superdelegates to 48 for Sanders.

Several state Democratic conventions in recent months considered resolutions abolishing the superdelegate system, or changing it so that superdelegates must align themselves in proportion to the outcome.

The pressure to eliminate or modify the superdelegate allocation process has led some senior party leaders to express support for reform.

"I'm very open to a reform that says the superdelegates have to vote with the preferences of their state," said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a former DNC chairman. "That's not a problem —in the same proportion."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of the party’s most influential liberals and a Clinton supporter, criticized superdelegates during the Massachusetts Democratic state convention.

"I’m a superdelegate, and I don’t believe in superdelegates," Warren told reporters at the June 5 convention.

Many African-American lawmakers, however, are loathe to give up any influence and hard-won gains in the selection of the Democratic nominee. In a letter accompanying the CBC letter to Democratic colleagues, Rep. James Clyburn — a member of House leadership and co-chairman of a 2009 commission that reviewed the Democratic nominating process — strongly pushed back against criticism of the superdelegate process.

"Let me be clear, our delegate selection process is not rigged," Clyburn wrote in the separate letter, also obtained by POLITICO. "It is transparent to the public and open for participation for all who wish to declare themselves."

The Sanders campaign declined to comment on the letters.

Retaining some kind of superdelegate system has been a high priority for CBC members, said Democratic strategist Doug Thornell, formerly the group’s communications director.

"Sanders did a lot of things right in this campaign, he did a lot better than expected. At the same time he seemed to have a lack of understanding or lack of relationships with black leaders that you saw ultimately hurt him in South Carolina and other states with big black electorates," Thornell said. "And this is something that the CBC is going to be very passionate and push back against. This is a way that African-American officials can represent their district and have a say in the process. They're not going to go along with this at all."

Multiple CBC members conceded that the superdelegate system has its flaws, but also argued it's not worth scrapping. "I've been listening to both sides, all sides of the debate and I think both sides have made persuasive arguments," said one CBC member, who asked to not be named.

"The superdelegate system is not perfect but it has worked for us quite well over the years and frankly the superdelegates have never needed to cast any superdelegate votes to alter what the voters did during the primary elections," said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. "Never. That's not the case this year either. The concern many of us have, of course, is that our numbers would shrink in terms of having influence over and involvement with what happens at the convention."

Cleaver added that the CBC would not be swayed on the superdelegate issue.

"The black caucus is immovable on this subject because our number one concern is going to be an always be the highest level of minority participation as possible at the convention," Cleaver said. "You're going to see the same thing with the Hispanic Congressional Caucus. Mr. Sanders, if he had met with either or what's called the tri-caucus, he would have found out there is no flexibility."

