With the Republicans having chosen their presumptive presidential nominee and the Democrats still working on that, some political observers are asking what might be called the "what if?" question: What if the candidate who has won the pledged delegates withdraws or dies?
Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Jared Craighead says all of this state’s delegates would still support one candidate – after a replacement candidate for John McCain is chosen.
Things are a little different on the Democrat side because Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still battling it out for the party nomination. Missouri Democratic Party Communications Director Jack Cardetti says Missouri’s 72 pledged delegates are evenly split between Obama and Clinton and must vote that way at the National Convention unless they are released by the candidate to whom they are pledged.
Unlike Republicans, Democrats have what are known as superdelegates who are free to vote as they wish on the first ballot or any subsequent ballot.
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