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The long process of choosing the President of the United States begins with a series of individual state primary elections, in which voters in particular parties express their preference among a series of candidates. While typically voting for a particular candidate, voters actually choose a slate of delegates for each party to represent that state at the party's political convention. The delegates gather at each party's nominating convention held several months prior to the general election. There, the delegates formally submit their votes for the nominees, and the person with the most votes becomes the party's Presidential candidate for the general election.
The primary elections begin as early as January of the election year and take place through the spring, culminating in the mid- summer national convention of each political party. Campaigning for the primaries often begins six to 12 months before the first primary, almost two years before the general election. Incumbent presidents seeking re-election have nearly always won their party's nomination ( Franklin Pierce, Grover Cleveland, and arguably Lyndon Johnson are exceptions).
The best-known of the American presidential primaries is the one in New Hampshire, because it is the first in each quadrennial cycle. Although established in 1916, this primary drew little attention until 1952Summary of notable events in 1952 . Events January events January 8 West Germany has 8 million refugees inside its borders. January 24 Sudden heavy snowfall in Algeria. January 24 Vincent Massey sworn in as first Canada-born Governor-General of Canada., when a change in proceedings allowed more candidates to be listed on the ballot. That created a contest that drew notice from then-new television coverage, and its importance was cemented when Jimmy CarterJames Earl Carter, Jr. born October 1, 1924) was the 39th ( 1977 1981) President of the United States. He had previously served one term as Governor of Georgia. Carter's administration marked the decline of U. power overseas and an economic recession. took a surprise win in 19761976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 12 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is s and rode it to the presidency.
In the late 1970s, the New Hampshire Legislature passed laws designed to guarantee that their primary would always come first — a status it has successfully defended from other states who envy the attention. The main competition comes from IowaIowa Flag of Iowa (In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: "The Hawkeye State Other U. States Capital Des Moines Largest City Des Moines Governor Thomas Vilsack Area Total % water Ranked 26th 145,743 km2 0. 71% Population Total ( 2000) Density Ranked 30th, which holds a less-binding caucusA caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries. In the United States, a caucus is a meeting of local members of a political party or vote a week or two before the New Hampshire primary. Some people claim that the current primary system is unfair, because it places undue emphasis on New Hampshire and Iowa, which they claim are not representative of the nation as a whole.
Since the advent of " Super TuesdayIn the United States, Super Tuesday commonly refers to a Tuesday in early March of a Presidential election year. It is the day when the most states simultaneously hold their primary elections, and the single day when the most nominating delegates can be w" in 19881988 is a leap year starting on Friday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 2 Georgia celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 9 Connecticut celebrates its bicentennial statehood. January 26 Australia celebrates its bicentennial day., there has been a trend towards "front-loading" state primaries--moving their dates forward as much as possible, so that more primaries are bunched together earlier in the campaign season. As a result, in the 20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co Democratic primary schedule, for instance, the nominee was already known by early March; in the past, the nominee was often not known until June, when the last of the primaries were held, or even until the late-summer convention. A number of states do not have primaries, citing the costs of the election and the irrelevance of primaries late in the nominating cycle.
There are several proposals of reforming the primary system. Some reformers have called for a single nationwide primary to be held on one day. Others point out that requiring candidates to campaign in every state simultaneously would exacerbate the problem of campaigns being dominated by the candidates who raise the most money. Alternative reform concepts would return the presidential primary season to a more relaxed schedule. Fewer primaries in smaller states would allow grassroots campaigns to score early successes and pick up steam. With this idea in mind, a commission empaneled by the Republican Party recommended the Delaware Plan in 2000; however, populous states objected to the plan because it would have always scheduled their primaries at the end of the season. The Delaware Plan was put to vote at Republican National Convention of 2000 and rejected.