No shortcut for Sanders: Pelosi
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signalled to Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders that he needs an outright majority of delegates, not just the highest number, to win the party’s presidential nomination.
Washington’s top Democrat declined to say whether she would support the candidacy of Senator Sanders – flagbearer for the Left – if he arrived at July’s Democratic convention with the most delegates among the candidates, but still short of a majority.
“The person who will be nominated will be the person who has a majority plus one.
That may happen before they even get to the convention but we’ll see,” Mrs Pelosi said.
Senator Sanders is battling moderate rivals including former vice president Joe Biden and rising challenger Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, to see who faces President Donald
Trump in November’s poll. Mrs Pelosi dodged answering whether she would advise her members to back the leading candidate if that person arrived at the convention with only a plurality of delegates.
“The rules are very clear: the person who will be nominated for president will be the person who will have the majority of the votes,” she said.
Senator Sanders is ahead in the early delegate count and he could take a commanding lead after “Super Tuesday” next week. He is still riding high after wins in New Hampshire and Nevada and a virtual first-place tie in Iowa.