What The Fact: Why You Keep Hearing About The Delegate Count

What The Fact: Why You Keep Hearing About The Delegate Count

By Newsy Staff

By Newsy Staff
March 6, 2020

March 6, 2020

Confused by all this talk of delegates and super delegates? You're not alone. PolitiFact helps sort it out for us.

SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Each week, we partner with our friends at PolitiFact to sort fact from fiction on the week's biggest political stories. This week, we're explaining why presidential candidates are duking it out for each and every delegate this primary season.

For full election coverage visit Election 2020.

TRENDING IN Politics NEWS

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogarth speaks at a vigil Saturday to memorialize the eight killed in the mass shooting there.

Indianapolis Sikh Community Reels From Loss In FedEx Shooting

Examining America's Water Infrastructure Crisis

The American flag files at half-staff above the White House

Andrew Harnik / AP

Mass Shooting Suspect Was A Former FedEx Employee

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House Passes Measure To Close Pay Gap

Police keep a watch on demonstrators who tried to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington.

Julio Cortez / AP

Inspector General Says Capitol Police Need to Change "Culture"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

No Room For Error As Democratic Majority Slims

Parent with children

Associated Press

VP Harris Announces Largest Child Care Investment In U.S. History

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee at committee markup of her bill

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House Committee Advances Bill To Study Slavery And Reparations

Gun control advocate protests

Democrats To Reintroduce Bill On Background Checks For Ammo Sales

Joe Biden boards the train at Amtrak's Pittsburgh Train Station, Sept. 30, 2020.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Could "Amtrak Joe" Give High-Speed Rail Its Long-Awaited Glow Up?

FBI Director Chrisopher Wray

Graeme Jennings / AP

U.S. Officials: China Remains Biggest Global Threat

Protestors march at a rally against Asian hate crimes past the Los Angeles Federal Building

Damian Dovarganes / AP

Senate Advances Bill On Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House Democrats Introduce Bill To Expand Supreme Court

Demonstrators rally outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department

John Minchillo / AP

Biden Administration Vows Reform For Black Americans

Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner

Jose Luis Magana / AP

Kaine And Warner Propose Bill To Apply Virginia Gun Laws Nationwide

Nati Harnik / AP

Billionaires, Big Businesses Sign Letter Against Voting Restrictions

President Joe Biden.

Patrick Semansky / AP

U.S. To Announce Sanctions Against Russia

AP/Andrew Harnik

President Biden Announces Full Withdrawal Of Troops From Afghanistan

Associated Press

WH Could End Ban On Abortion Referrals From Federally Funded Clinics

Pregnant woman getting an ultrasound

Ohio Court Upholds Down Syndrome Abortion Law

The Internal Revenue Service Headquarters (IRS) building

J. David Ake / AP

IRS To Start Child Tax Credit Payments In July

People kneel at a protest last summer.

WPTV: Floridians React To The Controversial 'Anti-Riot' Bill

Matt Gaetz's Associate Cooperating With Investigators

Marta Lavandier / AP

Matt Gaetz's Associate Cooperating With Investigators

Demonstrators holding signs take part in a rally against Asian hate crimes

Shafkat Anowar / AP

Senate To Vote On Anti-Asian Hate Crime Bill

Officer William Evans lies in honor

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Capitol Officer Lies In Honor: 'He Became A Martyr For Our Democracy'

Billy and Tori, who foster migrant kids, in front of their house

Jeff Wick / Newsy

In Caring For Border Kids, Foster Parents Say 'Love Knows No Language'

A sign outside a covid-19 vaccine clinic in Arlington County, Va. alerts patients they will not be able to get J&J's vaccine

Kellan Howell // NEWSY Staff

Vaccine Sites Scramble To Pause Use Of J&J COVID-19 Vaccine

President Joe Biden delivers a speech on infrastructure spending.

Evan Vucci / AP

President Biden Insists He's Open To Compromise On Infrastructure Plan

Migrants are seen in custody at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing area.

Julio Cortez / AP

3 Countries Pledge To Help Reduce Flow Of Migrants To U.S.

Gun shop owner sorts paperwork.

Gun Background Checks Soared During Pandemic

Screenshot/Newsy

Surveillance For Sale: Cameras On Amazon Tied To China Military, Abuse

Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Al Drago / Reuters / AP

Secretary Of State Calls For Thorough Investigation Of COVID Origins

People sit at the base of a transmission tower in North Arlington, N.J.

Seth Wenig / AP

President Biden To Meet With Bipartisan Group On Infrastructure

Pres. Trump during a meeting in Washington.

Trump GOP Speech Attacks Mitch McConnell, Renews False Election Claims

COVID Vaccine Barriers Impacting Black Americans

Marijuana plants

When Will President Biden Address Marijuana Legalization?

Rioters storm the Capitol in what became a deadly riot.

AP: Pence Told Pentagon In Urgent Jan. 6 Call To 'Clear the Capitol'

Family poses for a photo

First Generation Americans Push To Make Changes For Others

Rep. Matt Gaetz

Jose Luis Magana / AP

House Ethics Committee Investigating Rep. Matt Gaetz

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Former President Trump To Address GOP Donors At Retreat In Florida

Security fencing surrounds the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Semansky / AP

President Biden Establishes Panel To Study Supreme Court Reform

Caleb Chung receives the first dose of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine or placebo as a trial participant

Richard Chung / AP

Pfizer Seeking FDA Approval For Vaccinating Children 12-15

Workers unload pipes in Worthing, S.D., for the Dakota Access oil pipeline

Nati Harnik / AP

Court Review Could Shutdown Dakota Access Pipeline For Months

People file paperwork.

KMGH: More Coloradans Are Seeking Concealed Carry Permits

A woman sits near a screen showing China and U.S. flags

Andy Wong / AP

Senate Bill Aims to Curb China's Global Influence

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., walks off the House floor

Matt Rourke / AP

Rep. Matt Gaetz's Associate, Joel Greenberg, To Plead Guilty

Migrant children

Customs & Border Protection

CBP Apprehends Nearly 19K Unaccompanied Migrant Children In March

Congressman Matt Gaetz

Gaetz Associate May Strike Plea Deal

A sign tops the temporary fence line outside the parking lot of a King Soopers grocery store, the site of a mass shooting.

David Zalubowski / AP

President Biden: Gun Violence In U.S. Is An Epidemic

U.S. Border Patrol agents stand by a vehicle near one of the border walls separating Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego

AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File

Evasion Of Border Patrol Hits Highest Level In Years, Says Union

Is The Ward Where Floyd Died Rethinking 'Abolish Police' Movements?

Minors lie inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility.

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

Record Number Of Children At U.S.-Mexico Border In March

Rep. James Clyburn

Lawmaker Still Pushing 'Charleston Loophole' Bill Years After Shooting

Supplies in Strategic National Stockpile warehouse

Department of Health and Human Services

How COVID-19 Revamped The U.S. Strategic National Stockpile

Carolina Sanchez at a demonstration for workplace safety in Colorado.

What Happened To Biden’s Plan To Fight COVID-19 In Workplaces?

Young unaccompanied migrants wait at the secondary processing station inside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

Abuse Allegations At Migrant Facility For Kids

Giffords Law Center Senior Policy Advisor David Chipman

Andrew Harnik / AP

President Biden To Unveil Actions On Guns

Sen. Joe Manchin

Susan Walsh / AP

Manchin Says I Won't Vote To Eliminate Filibuster

In this May 6, 2020, file photo, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Greg Nash / The Hill Pool / AP

Sen. Tammy Duckworth Discusses Takeaways From New Memoir

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House To Vote On D.C. Statehood In April

Students walk in front of Fraser Hall on the University of Kansas campus

Orlin Wagner / AP

Study: Student Loan Forgiveness Benefits Economy

Tishaura Jones Elected St. Louis' First Black Female Mayor

Transgender rights activist Caitlyn Jenner speaks at the 4th Women's March in Los Angeles.

Caitlyn Jenner Mulls Run For California Governor

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks

Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / AP

Atlanta Mayor Signs Order Against Georgia Voting Law

President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by Rep. Matt Gaetz,

Andrew Harnik / AP

Report Says Rep. Matt Gaetz Asked Trump For Pardon

Children look out from inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility.

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

Biden Administration Adding New Site For Migrant Children

A proposed ban on transgender athletes playing female school sports

Rick Bowmer / AP

Bill To Ban Transgender Athletes Heads To Florida House

President Joe Biden

AP/Evan Vucci

President Biden Shortens Vaccine Eligibility Timeline

People waiting in line to vote in Atlanta.

Brynn Anderson / AP

A Breakdown Of Georgia's New 'Election Integrity' Law

Rep. Alcee Hastings

Patrick Semansky / AP

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings Of Florida Has Died At 84

New Utah Law Requires Fathers To Pay For Half Of Pregnancy Costs

Daniel Umana, a Salvadoran man who plans on trekking to the U.S.

Juan Carlos Quinteros

$13K Smuggler's Fee Part Of Salvadoran's Plan To Get To U.S.

President Joe Biden

Evan Vucci / AP

Biden Infrastructure Plan Faces Pushback From Own Party

Children in a pod at the a Department of Homeland Security holding facility

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

New Poll Suggests Many Americans Disapprove Of Border Situation

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson gives the State of the State in the Senate chamber of the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark.

Thomas Metthe / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / ASP

Arkansas Governor Vetoes Transgender Treatment Ban

Man calls in firearm background check application.

Mark Duncan / AP

What Gun Background Check Loopholes Exist?

Charlie Riedel / AP

MLB Speaks Out Against Georgia Voting Laws, All-Star Game Moved

Bottles of Coca-Cola

LM Otero / AP

Some GA Lawmakers Want To Remove Coca-Cola From Offices

Vice President Kamala Harris

Andrew Harnik / AP

Vice President Kamala Harris Visits California On Infrastructure Tour

President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden

Nick Wass / AP

Ukraine, Drug Addiction Drive New Interview With Pres. Biden's Son

President Biden delivers a speech on infrastructure spending.

GOP Says Corporate Tax Hike In Biden Admin. Plan Will Eliminate Jobs

A bridge in a city.

Why Passing Infrastructure Reform May Be Tricky For Pres. Biden

Authorities tow a car after a man rammed it into a barricade on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Capitol Reconsiders Fencing, Security After New Attack Kills Officer

Photo of a prison cell

Advocates Call On Pres. Biden To Reduce Prison Populations Nationwide

Dave LewAllen interviews Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Michigan's COVID Surge May Happen Other Places

Iranian diplomats attending a virtual talk on nuclear deal with representatives of world powers

Iranian Foreign Ministry / The Associated Press

World Powers Ready To Welcome U.S. Back To Iran Nuclear Deal

Vice President Kamala Harris

Evan Vucci / AP

Vice President Harris To Visit Oakland, California

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz,

John Raoux / AP

NYT Says Gaetz Investigation Focuses On Payments To Women

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., adjusts his face mask.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Manchin Says 'Past Time' For Immigration Reform

a voter, right, shows her identification to a Harris County election clerk

David J. Phillip / AP

Texas Senate Passes Restrictive Voting Bill

President Joe Biden speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House.

Evan Vucci / AP

President Taps 5 Cabinet Members To Sell Infrastructure Plan

A poll worker talks to a voter before they vote on a paper ballot on Election Day in Atlanta.

Brynn Anderson / AP

Georgia-Based Companies Still Face Boycott Threats

President Joe Biden speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House.

Evan Vucci / AP

Pres. Biden Hosts First Cabinet Meeting, Pushes Infrastructure Plan

Former Democratic congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks against new proposed voting restrictions at the Texas Capitol

Acacia Coronado / AP

Texas Senate Approves Voting Restrictions

A store displays a hiring sign

'Marshall Plan for Moms' Aims To Aid Women In Pandemic

Rep. Matt Gaetz

John Raoux / AP

Rep. Gaetz To Stay On House Committee Amid Sex Investigation