Presidential Nomination Politics in the Post-Reform Era

Abstract

Since 1980, more than 175 scholarly articles, chapters, or books have been published about the post-reform presidential nomination system. Numer ous authors investigate primary rules, media coverage, candidates, voters, or momentum. Less well covered are the subjects of interest groups, win nowing of candidates, campaign contributors, and connections to other phases of the presidency Research on presidential nominations has to con tend with an ever-changing environment as rules change, candidates exit the contests, and the primary season progresses from February through June. This environmental complexity adds to the challenge of investigating the first phase of the presidential selection process. Coupling this environ mental complexity with a lack of consensus among scholars on measure ment, model building, and theory leads to contradictory findings in a number of areas. Nevertheless, much has been learned about the patterns of presidential nominations.

State Delegate Selection Rules for Presidential Nominations, 1972–2000

“…Both voters and presidential candidates, we know, make decisions rationally in the context of the delegate selection rules (Abramson et al 1992; Aldrich 1980). Second, the presidential nomination system has been examined in great detail, with heavy emphasis on how the rules affect outcomes (Norrander 1996). But aside from discussion of the parties’ important 1970s‐era changes to the delegate selection system at the national level (Crotty 1983; Polsby 1983; Shafer 1983) and national party responses to those changes (Cohen et al n.d.; Cohen et al 2003), scholars have exhibited little interest in explaining the varied and potentially strategic decisions that state parties make about presidential selection rules.…”

Reforming the Presidential Nomination Process

“…One thing should ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... N o m i n a t i o n P r o c e s s ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... be clear so far, and that is that the rules of the game structure presidential nomination contests (Norrander 1996). These rules govern which states vote early and late in the sequential process, and why some states use caucuses and others primary elections.…”

Error

“…The literature on the determinants of campaign contributions is also welldeveloped, though the role of a candidate's electoral prospectsthe crucial point for the issue at handis less consistently considered. In Presidential primaries, small individual contributions, rather than PAC money, are the average and the marginal contribution and constitute the bulk of money raised by candidates (Norrander, 1996;Francia et al, 1999;Ansolabehere et al, 2003). When considering the motive of the giver, these contributions should be seen as consumptiona desire to participate in the campaign and associate with the others doing sorather than investmentan attempt to influence future policy (Ansolabehere et al, 2003;Verba et al, 1995).…”