At the 2008 Democratic National Convention , the superdelegates made up approximately one-fifth of the total number of delegates . The closeness of the race between the leading contenders , Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama , led to speculation that the superdelegates would play a decisive role in selecting the nominee , a prospect that caused unease among some Democratic Party leaders . Obama , however , won a majority of the pledged delegates and of the superdelegates , and thus clinched the Democratic presidential nomination by June
2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
Superdelegate