Nominations, Campaigns, and elections

1. Nominations, Campaigns, and elections “Throwing Your Hat in the Ring”

2. Election Process • Time between a candidate’s announcement that he or she is running to the actual convention, could easily be two years from start to finish. • “Invisible primary” – period between a candidate’s announcement that he or she is running for president and the day the first primary votes are cast • After the candidate declares, the candidate starts building an organization, actively seeking funds-current start up fee for presidential races estimated at $100 million

3. Election Process • Before first primary or caucus, candidate vies for endorsements from party leaders and attempts to raise public’s interest by visiting key states with early primaries (Iowa & New Hampshire). • Debates are held among the candidates and political ads are shown in the early primary states. • Early front runners are normally candidates that raise the most money.

4. Election Process • Second stage of the campaign is the primary season. • As early as February and March (before election) key regional primaries are held on “Super Tuesday.” • After Super Tuesday, one candidate usually has enough delegates pledged to him that he becomes presumptive nominee (not in 2008 when Democrat candidates fought until the last primary was completed).

5. Election Process • Third stage of the campaign takes place between the time both parties have a presumptive candidate and the conventions where the candidates are officially nominated. • Fourth stage of the campaign is the nominating convention held by each party. • Traditionally, the party out of power holds its convention first. Conventions are highly scripted, pep rallies for the party’s base. • Key components: adoption of party platform, keynote speech, nominating speeches, and the acceptance speeches of the vice presidential and presidential candidates.

6. Election Process • Election campaign seems like a 100-yard dash compared to the nominating process. • Even though there are similarities to the campaign for nomination in terms of organization and strategy, once the candidate has the official party designation, the fall campaign turns into a fight for the finish.

7. Primaries • First step on the road to the White House is the caucus and primary process. • Winning delegate support takes place as a result of a high-tech campaign to convince party regulars that a particular candidate is best suited to run the country.

8. Primaries and Caucuses Continued • Today, most of the delegates to the national conventions are selected in presidential primaries, in which voters in a state go to the polls and vote for a candidate. • States selected their delegates to the national convention in a meeting of state party leaders (caucus), but today caucuses are open to all voters who are registered within the party.

9. Criticisms of primaries and caucuses • Disproportionate amount of attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries. • Running for president has become a full-time job. • Money plays too big a role in the caucuses and primaries • Participation is low and is not representative of the voting population. • Primaries and caucuses exaggerate regional factors • System gives too much power to the media.

10. National and Regional Primaries • Proponents of a national primary to select party nominees believe that this would bring directness and simplicity to the process. • Critics of a national primary believe it would require a runoff election between the two top finishers. Big money and media attention would become more crucial.

11. National and Regional Primaries • Regional primaries would have groups of states that would vote one week, then another the following week, and so on. • Major problem with regional primary proposal is the advantage gained by whichever region goes first.

12. Assignment • Read Lanahan Reader pg. 496 and answer hand out questions. • In a short paragraph, give your opinion on the following statement: “Reformers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries held that the solution to democratic problems was more democracy…. In principle, more democracy always sounds better than less, but it is not such a simple issue in practice.”