Selecting a President:
The Presidential Nomination and
Election Process
Presidential Selection
 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 College
Power to the People?
Why Primaries and
Caucases?
• Turn and Talk
• We have watched parts of the Democratic
and Republican debates. Why then, if we
have these televised debates, do we feel the
need to have statewide primaries and
caucuses?
Announcing candidacy &
organizing
• Candidates officially
enter the “race” to the
Presidency
• Campaign is organized
for upcoming events:
– Network of
workers/volunteers
(phone calls,
publicity, planners,
etc.)
– Accounts created for
future fundraising
abcnews.go.com
Money Raised to Date….
• Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $29.9 million for
her campaign in the third quarter, just ahead of
Bernie Sanders, who raised $26.2 million.
• Total Raised by Campaigns in the Third Quarter
(in Millions)
• 1 Hillary Clinton $29.9
• 2 Bernie Sanders 26.2
• 3 Ben Carson 20.8
• 4 Jeb Bush 13.4
• 5 Ted Cruz 12.2
Pre-primary fundraising,
campaigning, and debating
• Candidates begin
fundraising for the
upcoming spring
primary/caucus season
• Campaigning for the
party primary/caucus is
in full swing during this
time
• Debates will be held
between the main
contenders
washingtonpost.com
Stage 1: Caucuses
Barrack Obama campaigns in Iowa
 Closed meeting of party members in each state
 Delegates select the party’s choice for
presidential candidate
 Currently used in only six states
Stage 1: Caucuses
Hilary Clinton (D) and Rudy Guilliani (R)
campaigning in Iowa
The Iowa Caucus is the first primary/caucus - Date
for the Iowa Caucus is February 1, 2016
Considering Iowa is a relatively small state, why are
the Iowa caucuses so important??
Stage 1: Primaries
Presidential Primary Elections - special elections
in which voters select candidates to be the party’s
nominee for president in the general election.
 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
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??
2016 Open & Closed Primaries
Virginia has a “modified open primary”
Iowa Caucus
Nationaljournal.c
om
• First major electoral event
in the election process.
• Candidates campaign in Iowa months
before the caucus
– Ads, paid staffers, and publicity is
centered around the many precincts in
Iowa
• The winner of the Iowa caucus has
served as an indication of the person
who will win their parties nomination
New
Hampshire
Primary
• First primary of
election year
• February 9, 2016
• Focused upon by
candidates
– Media attention
– Early success in
contests / must
perform well to
continue in race
nhhistory.org
Other
Important
Dates
• February 20 –
Nevada Caucases
• February 27 – South
Carolina Primary
• March 1 – June 14 –
All other states
• Pennsylvania
Specifically –
Tuesday April 26
nhhistory.org
Importance of Early Caucuses
and Primaries
• These states are
small but play a big
role
• They do not decide
who IS the nominee
for each party
• They decide who
ISN’T the nominee.
• They significantly
narrow the field of
candidates
•
•
•
•
Iowa
New Hampshire
Nevada
South Carolina
SUPER TUESDAY
• In 2008, states realized
that the sooner they
go, the more say they
have in who gets
nominated.
• Both the Democrat and
Republican Parties the
earliest date for which
a state can have its
primary.
• Many states had their
primaries on this date
SUPER TUESDAY
• This became known
as SUPER
TUESDAY.
• Most experts
predicted that this
date would decide
the nominee early.
• This was not the
case
– 2008: Hilary vs.
Obama
– 2012: Romney vs.
Santorum
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
Nominating Conventions
• Democratic
Convention 2016
• Week of July 25
• Philadelphia, PA
• Republican
Convention 2016
• July 18-21
• Cleveland, OH
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 are
required to
vote at the
convention
based on the
popular vote
in their state
 (they have to
listen to the
people)
Pledged delegates count during the 2008 Democratic primaries
Superdelegates
 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
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 2012
Keynote Address at the Democratic
Convention???
Mayor Julian Castro, San Antonio
Texas – Hispanic – Youngest mayor of
top 50 cities
Governor Chris Christie – New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
Republican Convention Keynote
Speaker
The Acceptance Address
1960 presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon deliver
their Acceptance Addresses at their party’s national convention
 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
1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City
Critics say that party nominating conventions
have become nothing more than infomercials.
What do you think?
Stage 3: General Election
• Candidates ACTIVELY campaign by…
• (Basically do ANYTHING that they think
will get them more voters)
Raise money
In the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama raised
over $600 million dollars – more than any
other candidate ever—most of it through
small, single online donations
Run ads
(TV, radio, mail, internet etc)
Participate in Debates
Hold rallies and give speeches
Fall Campaign
After convention to Election Day
• Candidates travel
from state to state
(speaking, rallies
fundraising, etc.)
• Focus on swing
states (states that are
contested)
• Run TV ads to
increase name
recognition, spread
ideas, “mud-sling”
• Debates held against
opponent (media
attention, show
“likeability”, appear
presidential, etc.)
thesoundsofhistory.com
Campaign Finance
• The McCain-Feingold Act (2002) sought
to limit campaign corruption by limiting
the amount of money that could be
donated by individuals and
organizations.
• Citizen’s United Decision (2010) struck
down key limitations in McCain-Feingold
allowing corporations and organizations
to spend and donate unlimited money.
Campaign Finance
• At the beginning of the 2012 election
season, many experts estimated that a
candidate would need to raise $1 billion
in order to run a successful campaign
for the presidency.
• So far:
• Romney: $771.7 million
• Obama: $834.7 million
General Election
• Held on the
Tuesday after the
first Monday in
November
– November 2-8
• Eligible citizens of
the U.S. cast votes
for the candidate of
their choice for
President.
• Popular vote winner
in each state helps
determine the
electors who will
cast the official vote
in the Electoral
College
Time.com
Stage 4: Electoral College
We’ll talk about it in
more detail
The Electoral
College
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
47
True or False?
The candidate with the most votes is
elected president.
Answer: Not necessarily. Ask Al Gore.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
48
The 2000 Election
The Popular Vote
Al Gore
George W. Bush
50,996,039
50,456,141
The Electoral Vote
George W. Bush
Al Gore
3/12/2016
271
267
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
49
Historical Background
• The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to
elect a president
– Congressional selection
– direct popular election.
• The electoral college was a compromise
– combining features of both approaches.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
50
The Electoral College and
Federalism
• The electoral college also reflects the
federal nature of the Constitution
– Ensures that the states have a role in
selecting the president.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
51
• Each state is entitled to as many electoral votes as
the sum of its representation
– U.S. House of Representatives
– U.S. House of Senate
• Ohio: 18 House members plus 2 senators = 20
electoral votes
– Total:
•
•
•
•
3/12/2016
435 House members
100 senators
3 electors for the District of Columbia
= 538 electoral votes
State Electoral Votes
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
52
Who are the Electors?
• Individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s
electoral votes.
• Ohio selects 20 electors to cast the state’s 20 electoral votes.
• Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would
exercise good judgment.
• Today, party leaders select electors who are typically long-time party
activists.
• Electors almost always vote for their party’s candidates.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
53
Delegate Votes Divided
 Each state determines the manner of selection
 All but two states use a winner-take-all delegates
statewide election system
 Nebraska
 Maine
 Everyone else
 If Candidate A gets the most votes in a state, Candidate A gets
the all of the delegates.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
54
Voters and Electors
• Therefore,
– An Ohioan who votes for Obama is really
voting for a elector pledged to cast the state’s
electoral votes for Obama.
– Remember:
• In 2000, Bush won all of Florida’s 25 electoral
votes because the final official vote tally showed
him ahead of Gore by about 600 votes.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
55
The Real Election
• In December of election year
– The electors gather in their respective state
capitols to cast ballots for president and vice
president.
• In January
– Congress comes into session
– They open the ballots received from each state
– They announce the official outcome.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
56
What if no one receives a majority?
 To win, a candidate needs a majority,
 270 electoral votes.
 If no candidate has a majority
 the House of Representatives selects the president from among the three
presidential candidates with the most electoral votes.
 If this happens, each state has one vote.
 Happened only once!
 1824 Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry
Clay.
 The Senate selects the vice president from the top two vicepresidential candidates.
3/12/2016
57
Popular Vote v. the Electoral Vote
• In a close race, the popular vote winner may not win
the electoral college.
– One candidate may win states by lopsided margins
while the other wins states by narrow margins.
• Electoral vote winners who lost the popular vote
– Bush over Gore in 2000
– Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland in 1888
– Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden in 1876
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
58
Criticisms of the Electoral College
• The popular vote winner may lose the
presidency.
• Electors may vote for persons other than
their party’s presidential and vice
presidential candidates.
• If no candidate receives a majority,
Congress will pick
the Module
president and vice 59
3/12/2016
Political Science
Developed by PQE
Proposals for Reform
• Eliminate electors but still count electoral
votes.
• Choose the president by direct popular
election.
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
60
Review Question
North Carolina has 13 U.S.
representatives. How many electoral
votes does the state have?
3/12/2016
Political Science Module
Developed by PQE
61
Electoral College
December – After General Election
• Distributes votes to states based upon # of senators
& representatives
• State’s popular vote winner earns all Electoral votes
of state
• Must earn majority (270) of Electoral votes to win
election
• Map: 2012 distribution
• Used originally to
“check” voters (uneducated
& uniformed)
census.gov