Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Sanders addressing the Democratic National Convention, July 2016
In 2017, following a bitterly contentious Democratic National Convention and the defeat of nominee Hillary Clinton, representatives of the Sanders, Clinton, and Obama camps came together as a Unity Commission and negotiated reform of the party rules. The unity reforms are a credit to the work of Larry Cohen representing Sanders and then-chair Tom Perez, as well as Keith Ellison, the Sanders-backed candidate for party chair who Perez narrowly defeated for the job.
The reform rules make multiple changes, but the most important are these: So-called superdelegates may vote only if no winner is nominated on the first ballot. Any citizen can show up the day of a party primary, change their registration if necessary, and vote. And caucus votes must be recorded; the unity effort strongly recommended getting rid of caucuses entirely in favor primaries.
By 2020, all but three states had shifted to primaries. This shift dramatically increased voter participation in Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and elsewhere.
The rules were finalized at the 2018 summer meeting of the DNC. “It never would have happened without the leadership of Tom Perez,” Cohen says graciously.
Right up until this spring, reformers had concerns that more conservative elements in the Democratic Party would try to roll back the rules. But Biden and his allies had enough political sense, even if they had the votes or the desire, not to pick this fight.
The 2017 reforms were a testament to the influence of Sanders forces, who had enough delegates at the 2016 convention to get 25 percent representation on all committees and pushed relentlessly for a more open party. Though Sanders has far fewer delegates this time, his influence is still felt. The last thing Biden wants is a rebellion by Sanders people, no matter what the issue.
This is seemingly a virtual convention where not much is happening. But behind the scenes a great deal is happening.
On July 30, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules Committee voted unanimously to keep the reform rules in place for 2024. Had this not been done, it would have been up to the new DNC to make the 2024 rules.
The Rules Committee acted partly thanks to a letter sent by 39 state party chairs, urging the committee to leave the reform rules in place. The letter was partly the work of Sanders people but also reflects the desire of most state party chairs to have a more open process with more participation.
The gains by insurgent challengers to centrist and corporate incumbents are partly a reflection of the more open party processes. New York, ironically, where Jamaal Bowman ousted Eliot Engel, was the one state that managed to flout the rules and get away with it. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, representing a throwback to boss-style politics, tried to cancel the primary but was rebuffed by the courts. New York managed to hang onto a requirement that new registrants need to make or change their party registration 75 days in advance of a primary. With the rules now firmly in place, New York is not likely to get away with this in 2024.
This is seemingly a virtual convention where not much is happening. But behind the scenes a great deal is happening. In one sense, Biden’s nomination was a victory for the old guard. But looking forward to stronger grass roots, Sanders influence is still being felt.
