Nominations,%20Elections,%20

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Nominations, Elections, Campaigns

• AP US Government
• Lacks

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Elections

• Government ought to be run by the people
• way of ensuring voices are heard is via voting
• Americans vote in three levels of elections, for
  several different offices local, state,
  national (federalism)
• all are pluralistic, not proportional
• Winner-take-all
  

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Elections

• Unfortunately, American elections feature a low
  voter turnout
• Since the 1970s, only 54 of the electorate on
  average votes
• And, of those who can vote in American elections,
  only 60 are registered at all

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Election Campaigns

• defined as organized efforts to persuade voters
  to select one candidate over another for a
  specific office
• Seem simple, but they are complex, expensive,
  mentally/physically draining,
  and
  constantly evolving

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Election Campaigns

• Because today less than half of Americans have
  allegiance to one party, it has gotten even
  harder
• Since the number of Americans declaring
  themselves as Democrats and Republicans are about
  the same, the candidate winning the majority of
  independent voters, wins the election

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Candidates

• Someone interested in running for office first
  explores the possibility of political and
  financial support
• Often times this is accomplished by establishing
  a political action committee (PAC)
• In national elections, the RNC and DNC sometimes
  seek out potential candidates in specific
  districts for state and national elections

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Candidates

• Individuals aspiring to become president must win
  two races one to grasp the party nomination,
  then to grasp the presidency
• The first race is called the primary
• Candidates must campaign for
  and then win the nomination
  of their party
• Many candidates often run

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Primaries

• Each party hosts candidates who go through a
  nomination process to determine the presidential
  nominee for that party.
• The nomination process consists of primaries and
  caucuses, held by the 50 states, Guam, Puerto
  Rico, Washington, D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands,
  American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

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Primaries

• The winner of each of these primary elections
  usually receives delegates proportional to the
  percentage of the popular vote that candidate
  received in each states. (like the Electoral
  College)

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Primaries

• In many Republican primaries, all the state's
  delegates are awarded to the winning candidate.
• In the Democratic Party, high-ranking party
  members known as superdelegates each receive one
  vote in at the convention.
• Whichever candidate has the majority of the
  delegates at the end of the primary elections is
  designated the presumptive nominee until he or
  she is formally nominated and endorsed for the
  presidency by his or her political party.

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Candidates

• In 2008, 10 candidates ran in the Democratic
  primary and 11 candidates ran in the Republican
  primary
• Why? It was the first presidential election
  since 1952 where there was no incumbent president
  or vice president running

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2008 Democratic Primary Candidates

• Barack Obama, U.S. Senator from Illinois
• Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator from New York
• John Edwards, former U.S. Senator from North
  Carolina
• Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico
• Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative from Ohio
• Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator from Alaska
• Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator from Connecticut
• Tom Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa
• Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator from Indiana

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2008 Republican Primary Candidates

• John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona
• Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas
• Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
• Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Texas
• Fred Thompson, former U.S. Senator from Tennessee
  
• Duncan Hunter, U.S. Representative from
  California
• Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City
• Sam Brownback, U.S. Senator from Kansas
• Jim Gilmore, former Governor of Virginia
• Tom Tancredo, former U.S. Representative from
  Colorado
• Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin

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2012 Republican Primary Candidates

• Mitt Romney, former Gov of Mass
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House
• Ron Paul, US Rep from Texas
• Rick Santorum, former US Senator from PA
• Rick Perry, Gov of Texas
• Jon Huntsman, former Gov of Utah
• Michelle Bauchmann, US Rep from Minn
• Buddy Roemer, former Gov of Louisiana
• Fred Karger, political consultant and gay rights
  activist from CA
• 6 more who only appeared on ballots in 2 states
• 28 more who only appeared on ballots in 1 state
• Herman Cain Gary Johnson withdrew before
  primaries began
• 6 more who filled with the FEC, but did not
  appear on any ballots

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How do primaries work?

• Candidates who have political and financial
  support hold a press event declaring their
  intention to run for president for a particular
  party (usually two years before the 2nd,
  non-primary, national election)
• Then, the primary campaign trial begins

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How do primaries work?

• Candidates travel throughout the country to get
  out their issues and appeal to the masses
• Primaries are harder everyone running is from
  the same party
• Candidates work hard to differentiate themselves
• Success in debates and financial support are
  essential to victory
• The process takes about 8 months and is meant to
  weed out lesser candidates

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How do primaries work?

• Normally, only the most politically active
  citizens pay attention to, or participate in
  primaries
• The first caucus occurs in Iowa (always the
  opening contest) the winner gets the Big Mo
  (early momentum, gain more media attention, free
  advertising, raises more money)

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How do primaries work?

• 2008 Primary Schedule (post debate)
• January 3Iowa caucus
• January 5Wyoming caucus (Republican only)
• January 8New Hampshire primary
• January 15Michigan primary
• January 19Nevada Caucus Republican South
  Carolina primary
• January 26Democratic South Carolina primary
• January 29Florida primary
• February 1 - February 2?Republican Maine caucus
• February 5 ? Super Tuesday Primaries/caucuses
  for both parties in 19 states, plus three
  Democratic-only caucuses and two Republican-only
  primaries

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How do primaries work?

• Over the past decade, states have tries to move
  their caucuses or primaries forward
• Known as front-loaded caucuses/primaries, the
  idea is to stage your states race early, so it
  gets more attention
• Big issue in 2008
• Political parties like to instead, spread them
  out
• Why?

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How do primaries work?

• However, states schedule the races
• Conflicts between the two sides were so bad in
  2008 that the Democratic and Republican parties
  reserved to not seat the delegates of Florida and
  Michigan at their conventions
• The Democratic Party did not hold formal
  elections in either state this means these
  states did not have Obamas name on the ballot,
  meaning two of the largest states did not get to
  nominate (M 17 electoral votes F 27
  electoral votes)

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Types of Primaries

• 1. Nearly all states have a binding primary, in
  which the results of the election legally bind
  some or all of the delegates to vote for a
  particular candidate at the national convention,
  for a certain number of ballots or until the
  candidate releases the delegates.
• 2. A handful of states practice a non-binding
  primary, which may select candidates to a state
  convention, which then selects delegates.

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Types of Primaries

• 3. In many states, only voters registered with a
  party may vote in that party's primary, known as
  a closed primary.
• 4. In an open primary, any voter may vote in any
  party's primary. In all of these systems, a voter
  may participate in only one primary that is, a
  voter who casts a vote for a candidate standing
  for the Republican nomination for president
  cannot cast a vote for a candidate standing for
  the Democratic nomination, or vice versa.

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Virginia?

• Has a primary, not a caucus
• Does not register voters by party, so if you are
  registered to vote, you can vote in this primary
• Have to choose if you want to vote in Republican
  primary or Democratic primary
• The Republican winner takes all 63 delegates in
  the Republican primary (2008)
• The Dems play it with a bit more complexity
  (2008)
• Only 54 of the 103 Democratic delegates are
  apportioned by the primary vote in each
  congressional district
• another 29 are assigned based on statewide
  results.
• Another 18 unpledged delegates are selected at
  the Virginia State Democratic Convention in June.

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The End National Nominating Convention

• National Nominating Conventions of each party are
  held in July or August
• Each state and territory gets a certain number of
  seats at the convention
• Usually, it is obvious who will win each partys
  nomination before
  the convention
• Exception in 2008

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The End National Nominating Convention

• The voting method at the conventions is a
  "rolling roll call of the states" (which include
  territories).
• The states are called in alphabetical order
  (Alabama is first Wyoming is last).
• The state's spokesperson (who begins his/her
  speech with glowing comments about the state's
  history, geography, and
  notable party elected
  officials)
  can either choose to
  announce
  its delegate count or pass.

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The End National Nominating Convention

• Once all states have either declared or passed,
  those states which passed are called upon again
  to announce their delegate count.

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Candidates

• The winner of each primary will go on to run for
  President in the national election