The Presidential NominatingProcess, or how to be

elected in three easy steps.

So you want to be the President?

First, always remember the Three things political

parties want:To Win, To Control and

To Influence.

BUT THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN, ‘CAUSE IT’S

GONNA BE A JOURNEY

Your journey begins with a single step, called the Invisible

Primary

So what is the Invisible Primary

The Invisible Primary is the beginning stage when potential candidates begin exploring their chances. They: 1) get their name out as someone interested and qualified; 2) build cred; 3)meet potential donors; and, 4) get organized.

WAKE UP!

SO, WHEN DO I START?RIGHT AFTER THE LAST

ELECTION

So, I’ve got my name out, some potential donors, a staff.

What am I forgetting?

Oh, Yeah. I gotta get on the ballot. Duh.

In most states, a candidate needs to get a specific number of voters to sign a petition to be placed on the ballot.

This gives a big advantage to major party candidates.

SOMETIMES THIS CAUSES PROBLEMS

THESE FOUR MESSED UP AND GOT

SMACKED DOWN BY HIM

JUDGE JOHN A. GIBNEY

So now the fun begins.The next thing on the to-do list

is the Iowa Straw Poll.Which is really a beauty

contest. Last year’s winner was…

So What is going on here:

People are “trying on” the candidates. They are looking at:1) Debate performance- see Rick

Perry2) Announced positions3) Consistency4) Demeanor

And then, the Iowa CaucusesJanuary 3, 2012

So what’s a caucus, I hear you cry!Well, a caucus is a private meeting of party leaders where they discuss and speechify about the candidates. It ’s a process that begins on the local level and moves up to the state. 19 states use caucuses. It was the historic method of selecting candidates.

So why don’t all states use them?

The problem was that caucuses were considered undemocratic and corrupt and dominated by men who looked

like this…

Some Iowa Caucus Pics

But these problems havebeen corrected.

And the winner out of Iowa was…

MITT ROMNEY, BY 8 VOTES

RICK SANTORUM, BY 34 VOTES

THE FIRST CASUALTY

New Hampshire

But, Dad, we need to stop….

• So, did you know that the word “can” originated from a 1920’s government health program giving large cans to rural residents to use as toilets where digging outhouses was difficult.

New Hampshire uses a direct primary, in which party

members select people to run in the general election.

There are two types of primaries

• Open Primaries:• Any one can vote in the

primary, regardless of party affiliation, BUT you can only vote in ONE primary. This ain’t Chicago.

• Virginia is open.

• Closed Primaries:• Only registered

members of the party may vote in the primary.

The no surprise winner

The Next Two Casualties

And now onto S. CarolinaOkay, this is Iceland.

And the Winna in S. Carolina!

The next big primary event is March 6th, aka “Super

Tuesday”, where 10 states, inc. Virginia hold primaries

and caucuses.

SO TWO THINGS CAN BE LEARNED HERE. FIRST, WE HAVE A RACE. AND

SECOND…

The job of the early

states, like that of

wolves, is to cull the weak

And once culled, the strong go on to the Convention.

There are also State Nominating Conventions, where local party chapters send members to a county nominating convention. From the county convention, candidates for local office are picked. Also, delegates are sent to a statewide convention to select statewide candidates. Presidential candidates aren’t involved.

Invisible Primary

Iowa Caucus

New Hampshire

Primary

S. Carolina Primary

Other Primaries, inc. Super Tuesday

Party Convention

s

Presidential Election

Nomination Cycle Review