Process of becoming president of the U.S.

1. Presidential Elections
SUBTITLE

2. The Process
2 parts:
▶ Secure the party nomination
▶ Win majority of electoral votes
Incumbents have an advantage
▶ About 80% reelection rate
▶ Well-known
▶ “bully pulpit”
▶ Money and staff

3. Invisible
Primary
“testing the waters”
• Start raising
money
• Get
endorsements
• Visit swing states
• Earn title of
“frontrunner”

4. Securing the Party Nomination
Primary Elections
▶ Closed primary—voters
must declare party
affiliation
▶ Open primary—voters
choose which party’s
primary to vote in
▶ Blanket primary—can
cast ballots for multiple
parties (rare)
Caucuses
▶ Party members meet in
small groups to hear
about the candidates
▶ Then cast votes publically
▶ Inconvenient for voters
▶ 13 states
• voting for delegates to attend the national convention
• Advising delegates who to nominate at the convention

5. It’s good to win early
Iowa caucus
▶ First test of a candidate’s strength
New Hampshire primary
▶ Traditionally the first primary
If you win early, you get media attention, money,
momentum

6. National Party
Conventions
Where the parties officially
choose their candidate &
set the platform
Usually, we know who the
candidate will be from the
results of the primaries and
caucuses
Also choose the VP
candidate

7. How does it work?
Balloting for the nomination:
▶ Roll call of state’s delegates
▶ Announce how many delegates your state is giving
each candidate
▶ You have to get a certain percentage to become the
nominee
▶ In 2012:
▶ Dems 2383/4765
▶ Repubs 1237/2472
▶ Usually a formality now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KTIYgo5k3c
52:38
52:38

8. So I’m a delegate to the convention. Do I have to
vote for the winner of my state’s primary/caucus?
Depends on the state you are from
▶ Some states allow delegates to be independent
▶ Some states use “pledged delegates”
▶ Some states give all their delegates to the
winner of the primary/caucus
▶ Some states use a proportional system

9. Superdelegates
Democratic party leaders
and elected officials who
automatically attend the
convention as voting
delegates
Not pledged to a
candidate
In 2016, there were over
700 superdelgates at the
DNC convention
For 2020, they have been
scaled back

10. Campaigning for the General Election
▶ Try to sustain momentum from conventions
▶ Post-convention “bounce” in the polls
▶ Raise more money
▶ Widen your appeal to moderate voters
▶ Debates
▶ Secure endorsements
▶ Travel to swing states

11. 222000 Election and reforms (11 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3os_Vw1Eoo
2000 Election (42 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcz6NSyxrfQ