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Reforming Presidential Nominations: Rotating StatePrimaries or a National Primary?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2009

Caroline J. Tolbert ,
David P. Redlawsk  and
Daniel C. Bowen
Caroline J. Tolbert
Affiliation:
University of Iowa
David P. Redlawsk
Affiliation:
University of Iowa
Daniel C. Bowen
Affiliation:
University of Iowa
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Extract

As part of their ongoing efforts to address frontloading and otherperceived problems, both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) andRepublican National Committee (RNC) proposed revised schedules andrules for 2008. The major changes for the Democrats were that twonew states were allowed to join Iowa and New Hampshire in violatingthe official February 5 start date. The idea was that thesestates—Nevada from the West and South Carolina from the South—wouldenhance participation by more diverse populations (Latinos andAfrican Americans). While the Republican rules called for states tolose half of their delegate vote if they violated the timing rules,the Democrats implemented a “death penalty” requiring any stateviolating the timing rules to lose all of its delegates. TheNew York Times called these changes the biggestshift in the way Democrats have nominated their presidentialcandidates in 30 years. Yet in the end these changes did little tolessen frontloading, as 70% of all delegates were actually chosen bythe beginning of March. Two large states (Michigan and Florida)defied both national parties and voted before February 5.

Type
Symposium
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 71 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2009

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