Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process

Name: Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process
Brand: Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis

The 2020 presidential selection process is already underway. As the political parties finalize their nominating rules and the states jostle for an advantageous contest date, potential challengers are being identified and sized up by party insiders. Once again, media and popular attention will be disproportionately focused on the candidates\u2019 performance in the first and earliest of the state nominating contests\u2014and on how quickly the sequence of primaries and caucuses winnows the field and identifies the presumptive nominees. But what are the implications of a sequential and front-loaded nominating calendar that gives some voters outsized influence while leaving many others with a constrained choice\u2014or no choice\u2014in the selection of their party\u2019s presidential nominee?