Presidential Primaries, National Convention

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Presidential Primaries, National Convention
Election

• Major device for nominating presidential
  candidates since 1832

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Presidential Primaries

• Process public controls the nominating process
  of candidates
• used to be party elites who chose which candidate
  would run for public office
• 1968 Chicago Democratic convention riots were the
  result of frustration over the nomination system
  / Vietnam War
• reforms instituted for Pres. candidate selection

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Democratic National Convention Riots
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• Primaries
• voters decide which candidate within the party
  will represent the partys ticket
• vary from state to state
• two main functions
• candidate preference election
• delegate selection process

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• As of 2012
• 36 states and DC hold presidential primaries
• 12 states are holding caucuses only
• 2 states, Missouri Utah, have both primaries
  and caucuses

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Delegate Selection

• Parties give states a specific number of
  delegates for the National Convention
• complicated formulas have been devised by both
  parties to award bonus delegates to states that
  have supported the partys candidates in recent
  elections

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Types of Primaries

• Closed Primary PA - allows only a partys
  registered voters to cast a ballot (27 states)
• considered healthier for the party system because
  they prevent members of one party from
  influencing the primaries of opposing parties

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• Open Primary all registered voters in the state
  can vote for any party candidate (17 states)
• advantage most popular candidate is put
  forward, one who will have appeal across party
  lines
• allows independent voters to participate
• disadvantage allows for parties to vote for
  weak candidates from opposing parties

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• Nonpartisan Primary used in NE and LA as well
  as hundreds of cities in the US
• selects candidates without regard to party
  affiliation
• party names do not appear on the ballot
• can select two members from the same party
• not use for Presidential primaries

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• Proportional Representation candidates receive
  delegates in proportion to the number of popular
  votes received
• favored by the Democratic Party
• delegates are awarded to candidates who win more
  than 15 of the vote in any district
• difficult to obtain a majority of delegates
  quickly

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• Party leaders
• party out of power primaries allow leaders to
  emerge
• party in power president is either running
  again or backing someone else who will normally
  get the nomination
• Front-loading scheduling primaries early in
  season - want media attention
• NH 1st primary, Iowa 1st caucus

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• In states without primaries, delegates to the
  national conventions are chosen by a system of
  caucuses and conventions
• caucus group of like-minded people who meet to
  select candidates they support in an upcoming
  election - often include discussions, speeches
  etc.
• Iowa, Washington, N. Dakota, Idaho, Alaska,
  Kansas, Hawaii, Nevada, Maine, Colorado,
  Minnesota

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• NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
• Idea for a national convention was built around
  political parties, not mentioned in the
  Constitution
• Today, they serve as a formality
• outcome rarely in doubt
• media event

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vMzfdIm6bCo0

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• Purposes
• nominate a party ticket (Pres VP)
• outline the partys platform - what the party
  plans to do if elected by the people
• not binding
• unite the party and garner votes (momentum)
• promote the candidate and his/her message
• promote the party

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• How does it work?
• each party gives each state a certain number of
  delegates
• 2012 the Republicans had a total of 2,429 while
  the Democrats had 5,556
• both parties had complicated formulas that award
  bonus delegates to states that have supported the
  party in the past

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• Super-delegates non-elected voters who have the
  full power of delegates despite not being
  selected through primaries or caucuses.
• super delegates are unpledged delegates
• There were 800 super-delegates at 2012
  Democratic National Convention - approx. 1/6th of
  the total number of delegates
• There were 3/states at the Republican
  Convention
• usually they are current/former elected officials

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• The delegates are chosen during the presidential
  primaries
• the winner of those states either gets all of the
  delegates votes at the convention
  (winner-takes-all) or a proportional
  representation of the delegates.
• during the final days of the convention, the
  delegates officially choose the candidates to
  represent their ticket

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• The convention lasts four days.
• keynote address (sets tone for convention and
  campaign to come) given early by a well-known
  party member (2012) 2012 Dem - Julian Castro
  San Antonio Mayor Rep - Chris Christie NJ
  Governor
• convention closes with official selection of
  ticket and the presidential candidates acceptance
  speech.
• the party out of power hold their convention
  first (8/27 Rep.- Tampa, FL) and the party in
  power shortly after (9/3 - Charlotte NC).

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http//www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id
284013