1. Selecting a President:
The Presidential Nomination and Election Process

2. 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?

3. Stage 1: Caucuses
Barrack Obama campaigns in Iowa
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

4. Stage 1: Caucuses
Hilary Clinton (D) and Rudy Guilliani (R) campaigning in Iowa
The Iowa Caucus is the first primary/caucus.
Considering Iowa is a relatively small state, why are the Iowa caucuses so important??
It is the first and largest in the modern presidential election cycle

6. 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

7. Closed Primary
Voters may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party

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

9. Methods of Selecting Presidential Delegates by State
Which is most popular? Why??

10. 2008 Open & Closed Primaries
Virginia has a “modified open primary”

11. Stage 2: Presidential Nominating Conventions
Barack and Michelle Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

12. 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 Republican Convention

13. Purposes of Nominating Conventions
1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan
At the convention the party adopts a platform to unify support behind common goals.
Delegates to the convention elect that party’s nominees for President and Vice-president.

14. 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)

15. Who are Delegates?
Delegate - A voting representative to the party nominating convention

16. Winner-take-all System
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

17. Democratic Party Rules: Two Types of Delegates
Pledged Delegates v. Superdelegates

18. 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)
Pledged delegates count during the 2008 Democratic primaries

19. 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)

20. Superdelegates
By John Trever, The Albuquerque Journal 03/30/

21. 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???

22. Current President, (Then a Senator) Barrack Obama gives the 2004 DNC Keynote Address

23. 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

24. 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City
Critics say that party nominating conventions have become nothing more than infomercials.
What do you think?

25. Stage 3: General Election
Candidates ACTIVELY campaign by…
(Basically do ANYTHING that they think will get them more voters)

26. Raise money
Barack Obama raised over $600 million dollars – more than any other candidate ever

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

28. Participate in Debates

29. Hold rallies and give speeches

30. Presidential Nomination/Election Process Pamphlet
Create a pamphlet detailing the Presidential Nomination/Election Process
Be sure to make it colorful and include at least one picture on each page.