Selecting a President:

The Presidential Nomination and Election Process

Stage 1: Caucuses & Primaries The Battle for the Party Faithful

Stage 2: Nominating Conventions “Glorified Infomercials?”

Stage 3: General Election The Fight for the Center

Stage 4: Electoral CollegePower to the People?

Presidential Selection

Stage 1: Caucuses

Closed meeting of party members in each state where party members get together to decide who they want to represent their party in the general election

Currently used in only six states

Barrack Obama campaigns in Iowa

Stage 1: Caucuses

Hilary Clinton (D) and Rudy Guilliani (R) campaigning in Iowa

The Iowa Caucus is the first primary/caucus and last year was held on January 3, 2008.

Considering Iowa is a relatively small state, why are the Iowa caucuses so important??

Stage 1: Primaries

Primary Season - January - June

Who Decides? - State party organizations for the most part decide the rules for the primaries in a particular state.

Types of Primaries:

Closed Primaries

Open Primaries

Presidential Primary Elections - special elections in which voters select candidates to be the party’s nominee for president in the general election.

Mitt Romney campaigning in New Hampshire

Closed Primary• Voters may vote in a party's primary only if

they are registered members of that party

Open Primary

• A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his or her own party affiliation.

Methods of Selecting Presidential Delegates by State

Which is most popular? Why??

2008 Open & Closed Primaries

Virginia has a “modified open primary”

Stage 2: Presidential Nominating Conventions

Barack and Michelle Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

Nominating Conventions• An assembly held by political parties every four years

• Usually held in late summer before the general election in November

George W. and Laura Bush at the 2000 Republican

Convention

Purposes of Nominating Conventions

1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan

1. At the convention the party adopts a platform to unify support behind common goals.

2. Delegates to the convention elect that party’s nominees for President and Vice-president.

What is a Party Platform?

• Platform - a statement of principles and objectives a political party and a candidate support

• Plank - Individual topics in a party’s platform (ex: abortion, war in Iraq)

Who are Delegates?

Delegate - A voting representative to the party nominating convention

Delegate Selection

Proportional System

Primary system used by the Democratic Party

Candidates get a % of delegates based on the popular vote

Winner-take-all System

System used in most Republican primaries

The winner of the popular vote in that state receives all that state’s delegates

Similar to electoral college

Democratic Party Rules:Two Types of Delegates

Pledged Delegates v. Superdelegates

Pledged Delegates

Pledged delegates count during the 2008 Democratic primaries

Pledged delegates are required to vote at the convention based on the popular vote in their state

(they have to listen to the people)

Members of the Democratic Party establishment who serve as unpledged (??) delegates at the party convention

They are free to vote for any candidate at the convention (don’t have to listen to the popular vote in their state)

Superdelegates

Superdelegates

By John Trever, The Albuquerque Journal 03/30/2008 http://www.politicalcartoons.com/

Convention Speeches: The Keynote Address

The speech given at the convention that embodies that party’s core message

Extremely important event – can propel a politicians career

Do you know who gave the 2004 Keynote Address at the Democratic Convention???

Current President, (Then a Senator) Barrack Obama gives the 2004 DNC

Keynote Address

The Acceptance Address

Given at the final day of the convention - winning candidate formally accepts the party’s nomination for president

Huge media event - Acceptance Address is always televised by the major networks

1960 presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon deliver their Acceptance Addresses at their party’s national convention

Critics say that party nominating conventions have become nothing more

than infomercials.

1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City

What do you think?

Stage 3: General Election

• Candidates ACTIVELY campaign by…• (Basically do ANYTHING that they think

will get them more voters)• http://www.jibjab.com/originals/time_for_

some_campaignin

Raise money

Barack Obama raised over $600 million dollars – more than any other candidate ever

Run ads (TV, radio, mail, internet etc)

Participate in Debates

Hold rallies and give speeches