1. (Presidential) Party Nominations

2. Important questions Why are nominations important to a party?
What should a party want in a nominee?
Who in the party should decide who the nominee will be?
What effect does the selection process have over the relationship between the “party” and the nominee?

3. How do parties select nominees?
In general, primaries
Why might primaries be bad for the party?
How might the party try to minimize those risks?

4. Nominating a presidential candidate
Delegates to the national nominating convention vote on who the nominee will be
Delegates are chosen through primaries, caucuses, and conventions
Dems/Reeps have different rules for selecting delegates

5. How does a candidate win the nomination?
Ultimately, by convincing primary voters/party activists
That s/he is a good representative of the party
That s/he can win the general election
Convince them through:
Campaigns (which cost money)
Party elite endorsements
Favorable media coverage ($$ again) (be the frontrunner!)
Advantages of “winning” the “invisible primary”

6. Effects of the primary calendar
No primaries
Effects on candidate behavior
Effects on general election chances
Importance of activists/elites
Late, spread out primaries
Frontloaded primaries

7. AP Delegate totals, March 17, 2004
(2,162 needed to win nomination)    
Kerry:  Edwards: 530  Dean: 156
    Clark: 73
Sharpton: 26  Kucinich: 22  Lieberman: 2  Gephardt: 2

8. How is frontloading (especially California setting a Feb
How is frontloading (especially California setting a Feb. 5 primary date) affecting the behavior of potential nominees for 2008? What role do party activists, elites, and rank and file voters play in this presidential nomination process?