Presidential Election – 2008 V. Martinez

What are primaries?  Wikipedia says :  A primary election (nominating primary) is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election. In other words, primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the following general election.electionjurisdictionpolitical partygeneral election

Caucuses and Primaries  udentnews/01/03/one.sheet.caucus.p rimary/ udentnews/01/03/one.sheet.caucus.p rimary/  This site gives some more information.

Here’s how it works: Political parties send delegates (members) to choose a nominee for president. They “represent” the party members in their state.

Political Parties use 2 ways to let the people in their state have a voice in who runs for office.  1. the primary or caucus system  (This help to narrow down the number of people who run for office.)  People in the states actually elect “delegates” to vote for them at their party’s national convention.

Iowa & New Hampshire caucuses and primaries  “You often hear more about the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary than those of any other states. That's because they are held first, in early January. Most states will hold their contests in February, and others will hold them as late as June. The results of early primaries and caucuses tend to influence those held later by narrowing down the candidate field and lending momentum to top candidates, momentum the party hopes will build into November.”

Who is running for President?  presidential-candidates/ presidential-candidates/  Some of the democrats  Hillary Clinton  Barack Obama  John Edwards

When will the presidential elections be held?  November 4, 2008  It will be the 55 th consecutive election for president.  election election-2008

Some of the Republicans:  Rudi Giuliani  Mike Huckabee  John McCain  Mitt Romney

The symbol of the Democratic party is the donkey  “Presidential candidate Andrew Jackson was the first Democrat ever to be associated with the donkey symbol. His opponents during the election of 1828 tried to label him a “donkey" for his populist beliefs and slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson was entertained by the notion and ended up using it to his advantage on his campaign posters.”Andrew Jackson election of 1828

Republican Party  “The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. It is often referred to as the Grand Old Party or the GOP.”political partiesUnited States of AmericaDemocratic Party

The symbol for the Republican party is the elephant.  “Political cartoonist Thomas Nast was also responsible for the Republican Party elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled "The Republican Vote." That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party.”Thomas NastRepublican Party

How often is a president elected?  Elections for the office of President of the United States are held every 4 years.

What are the qualifications needed to run for president?  Age and Citizenship requirements - US Constitution, Article II, Section 1  1.Must be a natural born citizen of the U.S.  2. Must be at least 35 years old  3. Must have lived in the U.S at least 14 years

How many times can someone be elected to the office of President?  No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice  and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. 

Who is the current president of the U.S.?  George W. Bush  Richard Cheney is the vice president.