Sanders: If Biden Has More Delegates At The Convention or "End Of The Process," He's The Nominee

In an interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Sen. Bernie Sanders said if former Vice President Joe Biden had a plurality of delegates entering the convention he should be the Democratic party's presidential nominee. However, Sanders also said it would be unfair and a disaster if superdelegates selected a candidate on the second ballot that had earned fewer delegates than another candidate in the primary race. "If Biden walks into the convention or at the end of the process has more votes than me, he's the winner," Sanders told Maddow on Wednesday. Sanders later clarified by votes he meant delegates. "I think it would be a real, real disaster for the Democratic party if, you know, I'm running against you and you have more votes than me and I say, well, wait a second, I don't want Rachel. I want somebody else who didn't get as many votes as she did, let's count the superdelegates' vote on the second ballot, you know what that would do to the Democratic electorate? People would say the person who got the most votes didn't get selected," Sanders said. <blockquote>RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC HOST: If at the end of the day it turns out that Vice President Biden is going to have more delegates than you do heading into the convention, will you drop out? SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of course I'm going to drop out. He will win. We'll run through -- I suspect we will run through the process letting people have a right to vote, but if Biden walks into the convention or at the end of the process has more votes than me, he's the winner. MADDOW: And that's true whether or not he has a majority or just a plurality? SANDERS: Absolutely. That's what I've said. Here's the story, and there's some confusion about this. Last time around in 2016 you talked about 2016, you remember before the very first vote was cast in Iowa, Hillary Clinton had 500 superdelegates set aside. 500 superdelegates. I thought that that was totally outrageous and absurd and undemocratic. We fought very hard in the Democratic rules process to get rid of all superdelegates. That is my preference. I think it should be the decision of the people, not Washington insiders. We lost, but what we did get is not getting rid of all superdelegates at convention voting but on the first ballot there will be no superdelegates. In other words, we go into the first ballot, it is representatives, delegates who are represented by the people, and I think that that's right. And what I have said is I think it would be a real, real disaster for the Democratic party if, you know, I'm running against you and you have more votes than me and I say, well, wait a second, I don't want Rachel. I want somebody else who didn't get as many votes as she did, let's count the superdelegates' vote on the second ballot, you know what that would do to the Democratic electorate? People would say the person who got the most votes didn't get selected. MADDOW: Most delegates. SANDERS: Most delegates, I'm sorry, most delegates.</blockquote>