The election cycle - introduction

Question 1

stages of the election cycle

Answer 1

Invisible primary
Primaries
Conventions
Campaign
Election Day
Electoral College Vote
Inauguration

Question 2

Who selected party candidates until the 1970s?

Answer 2

‘party bosses in smoke-filled rooms’

Question 3

what change was made to candidate selection after the 1970s

Answer 3

Candidate selection was made through primaries and caucuses in all states

Question 4

what are primaries

Answer 4

Primaries are normal elections organised per state to select one candidate in a party to represent them either as presidential candidate or as member of congress

Question 5

what are caucuses

Answer 5

caucuses are like meetings

Question 6

different dates in the primaries

Answer 6

Iowa - first caucus
New hampshire - first primary
Super Tuesday - many states one day

Question 7

what is fronloading

Answer 7

States trying to schedule their primaries early to bring attention to them.

Question 8

what happens if you win a state during the primaries

Answer 8

You get a number of delegates who will vote for you during the national party convention, more delegates for larger states.

Question 9

what did the adoption of primaries mean - legitimacy

Answer 9

It took control of candidate selection away from the party leaders, giving ordinary people a choice

Question 10

advantages of primaries

Answer 10

1. Selects candidates that appeal to ordinary voter - AOC defeating 10-year congress man in New Yorl in 2018 primaries
2. More democratic encourages participation
3. Campaign practice for candidates
4. 6 months of media exposure for the candidate

Question 11

disadvantages of primaries

Answer 11

1. Primary voters are more ideologically radical
   than the average voter 🡪 they may pick a more
   radical candidate who does not appeal to
   ordinary voters, this leads to polarisation - trump
2. Huge Cost
3. Threatens party unity as it leads to divisions and inflighting
4. Further democratic overload - carlifonia voters could vote 19 a day in 2021 - low turnout
5. Criticism of the system: states scheduled later normally don’t matter, while Iowa and
   New Hampshire get disproportionate attention

Question 12

what have party leader done to reduce the risk of voters selecting an unelectable candidate

Answer 12

The party leadership RNC and DNc can punish states that schedule their primaries earlier. RNC penalized five states by reducing their number of delegates

Question 13

what are superdelegates

Answer 13

A smaller number of party heavyweights, senators, governors, etc. vote how they want
Ca. 3500 delegates vs 800 superdelegates
They were introduced by the Democrats in 1984 to give the party leadership more control over the presidential candidate selection.
They only really count in a very close contest, as Clinton vs Obama in 2008.

Question 14

at what levels in the US are election candidates selected through primaries

Answer 14

All

Question 15

what are national party conventions

Answer 15

A gathering of a political party.
held every 4 years
focused on presidential elections and selection of a candidate

Question 16

formal or traditional functions of NPC - select president

Answer 16

The party’s candidate is selected by party delegates from each state. In the past that was done by state party bosses. Since 1972 votes by party delegates reflecting primary results in that state.
This means the result is already known before the convention.

Question 17

formal functions of NPC - select VP

Answer 17

Presidential candidates uses to select their ‘running mate’ at the convention. Since 1956, they have been in practice selected earlier, but presented at the convention. Since
1984, they have been announced before the convention.
2020: Biden announces Kamala Harris as ‘running mate’ a week before the start of the
convention

Question 18

formal function - party platform

Answer 18

The convention used to be the place to discuss and agree on a ‘party platform’. This is the US version of a manifesto. Includes the policies, ideology of the party and its stance on certain issues from the environment to marriage and abortion.
However, US party platforms are more superficial and are general outlines of ideas, not binding for candidates.
Anyway, nowadays the party platforms are decided on and published before the conventions begin.

Question 19

evidence - party plafrom is superficial

Answer 19

Republican party platform clearly opposes gay marriage - however Moderate republican senator susan collins introduced the Respect for Marriage Act, supported by 12 republican senators and 39 reps

Question 20

party platform can be binding

Answer 20

In 1994 the Republicans made an attempt at a
binding manifesto, ‘Contract with America’. It
was signed by 300 House of Representatives
candidates