How do presidential primaries work in the US? When are they done and why are they important?
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How do presidential primaries work in the US? When are they done and why are they important? — Today's Amazon Deals - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg —- How do presidential primaries work in the US? When are they done and why are they important? (CNN) -- Before electing a president in November every four years, Americans must select candidates in a series of primaries and caucuses.
It is a tortuous process that has evolved throughout the country's history and continues to evolve today.
Here's what you need to know:
What are primaries? It is an election to select candidates, usually from a specific political party, who will appear on the general election ballot.
When are the presidential primaries held? The first date on the presidential primary calendar is January 15, although technically it is not a primary.
That day, in Iowa, members of the Republican Party meet in events called caucuses , where they listen to speeches by supporters of a campaign and then vote for their preferred candidate. Unlike primaries in other states, these events are overseen by state parties and are not held like normal elections.
Democrats will also meet that day in Iowa, but their vote for president will be by mail and will end on March 5.
In some states, presidential primaries are held on one date and primaries for other offices are held later in the year.
After Iowa, New Hampshire holds its "first primary in the country" on January 23, although Democrats do not endorse the celebration. Democrats want their first official primary to take place on February 3 in South Carolina, which is a more racially diverse state, and the first place where Biden won a primary in 2020. That will be followed by the Nevada primary, the February 6th.
The calendar extends from there. Republicans compete in the caucuses in Nevada on February 8 and in South Carolina on February 24.
Below, we leave you the complete calendar of the primaries and caucuses in the US.
January 15: Iowa Republican presidential caucuses. January 23: New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. February 3: South Carolina Democratic presidential primary. February 8: Nevada and US Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucuses. February 24: South Carolina Republican presidential primary. February 27: Michigan Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. March 2: Idaho Republican presidential caucuses. March 2: Michigan Republican convention. March 3: Washington DC Republican presidential primary. March 4: North Dakota Republican presidential caucuses. March 5 (Super Tuesday): Alabama and Alaska Republican presidential caucuses; American Samoa Republican and Democratic presidential caucuses; vote-by-mail Democratic presidential caucuses of Arkansas, California, Colorado and Iowa; Democratic presidential primaries in Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah; Vermont and Virginia Republican presidential caucuses. March 12: Overseas Democratic presidential primaries; Georgia and Hawaii Republican presidential caucuses; Northern Mariana Islands Democratic presidential primary; Mississippi and Washington Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. March 15: Northern Mariana Islands Republican presidential caucuses. March 16: Guam Republican Convention. March 19: Arizona and Florida Republican presidential primaries; Republican and Democratic presidential primaries in Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. March 23: Louisiana Republican and Democratic presidential primaries; Missouri Democratic presidential primary. April 2: Republican and Democratic presidential primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. April 6: Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota Democratic presidential primaries. April 13: Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses. April 18: Wyoming Republican convention. April 21: Puerto Rico Republican presidential primaries. April 23: Pennsylvania Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. April 28: Puerto Rico Democratic presidential primaries. May 1: New Mexico Republican Convention. May 4: Missouri Republican Convention. May 7: Indiana Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. May 14: Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. May 18: Montana Republican convention. May 21: Democratic presidential primaries in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky and Oregon. May 23: Idaho Democratic presidential caucuses. May 23-25: Texas Republican Convention. May 25: Oregon Republican Convention. June 4: Democratic presidential primaries in Washington DC, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota (there are also Republican primaries in those places, but they are not binding). June 8: U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam Democratic presidential caucuses July 15-18: Republican National Convention. August 19-22: Democratic national convention. Who is running in the primaries? For the Democrats, Joe Biden, the incumbent president, is running for re-election, making him the incumbent candidate.
Incumbents rarely face serious competition. There are some Democrats challenging him in the Democratic primary, such as Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota and writer Marianne Williamson . But they have not yet generated much support, at least in opinion polls.
For the Republicans, former President Donald Trump has long been the favorite, which means that in the polls he appears with an advantage over five other candidates who are still in the running.
Trump, as a former president, also has some of the power of a sitting president, although he lost the last election. His is the first serious campaign by a former president for his party's nomination since Teddy Roosevelt tried and failed to regain the Republican nomination in 1912.
Michigan Supreme Court rejects 'insurrection ban' case, keeping Trump on 2024 primary ballot Anti-Trump Republicans appear interested in two main options: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Haley has polled better in New Hampshire and DeSantis has focused on Iowa. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson have had more trouble gaining support.
Who can vote in presidential primaries? Varies by state. Primaries are generally held at polling stations like any other election.
But some states have "open primaries," meaning any registered voter can vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries. Other states have "closed primaries," meaning that only people registered with a specific political party – usually Republicans or Democrats – can vote in that party's primaries.
Others offer the ability to register on voting day, essentially opening the primaries to the majority of registered voters.
Do winners in Iowa and New Hampshire usually win the party nomination? Not necessarily. In 2020, Biden didn't win Iowa or New Hampshire, but her campaign realigned in South Carolina and she made it to the Democratic nomination and the White House.
In 2016, Donald Trump lost Iowa, but won New Hampshire, similar to fellow Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.
In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama won Iowa, but lost New Hampshire. Republican John McCain lost Iowa that year, but won New Hampshire.
The last candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire and reach the White House was Democrat Jimmy Carter, in 1976, although he technically came in second in Iowa, behind the "uncommitted."
If multiple candidates win in party primaries in different states, how is the final presidential candidate determined? Voters elect candidates, but they are actually choosing delegates to party conventions, which are held in the summer.
Delegates can be distributed on a winner-take-all basis, meaning the candidate with the most votes in a state's primary wins all of that state's delegates, or they can be distributed proportionally to the primary election results. . Some states have thresholds where any candidate who receives more than a certain percentage of the vote – for example, 20% – can be eligible for delegates.
Currently, Democrats distribute all their delegates proportionally.
This year's Republican rules generally require states with primaries and caucuses before March 15 to distribute delegates proportionally. States with primaries and caucuses after March 15 can switch to a winner-take-all format.
When will we know which candidate has enough delegates to be the party's nominee? We will have to see how the primaries develop.
Keep an eye on Super Tuesday, March 5. Although there still won't be enough delegates on the table to win the nomination, that is the night with the largest number of delegates, when Republicans from 16 states and territories will vote for president.
It may be necessary to wait until May or June for a candidate to get enough votes to win his party's nomination. The last presidential primaries are held on June 4.
What happens if no candidate wins a majority of delegates in the primaries? In most cases, delegates must be "tied" (Republican term) or "pledged" (Democratic term) to a specific candidate heading into the convention.
A very small portion of the delegates from certain states and territories on the Republican side are "unattached." These few delegates can support whoever they choose at the start of the convention.
Democrats have "unpledged" delegates – the party's bigwigs – but they don't vote in the first round of voting at the convention if they can influence the outcome.
ANALYSIS | Trump and Biden are tied among immigrant voters. Because? If after the delegates vote there is no clear majority winner, additional rounds of voting are held in which pledged delegates become unpledged in order to finally elect the candidate. This is what is known as a "negotiated agreement."
When we say this is rare, we mean it hasn't happened since 1952.
How did this process come about? It has evolved throughout the country's history. Previously, it was the congressional delegations that chose the presidential candidates.
The first election in which there were political conventions for members of a party was in 1832, when Andrew Jackson won the White House. The first convention was held by the short-lived and defunct Anti-Masonic Party.
The trend to focus on primary elections and make the system more democratic began after the violence at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, when party leaders opted for then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey over the anti-war candidate, Eugene McCarthy. (Humphrey lost to Richard Nixon).
Where and when are the 2024 conventions? The Republican National Convention will be held July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
The Democratic National Convention will be held August 19-22 in Chicago.
Are there primaries that are not so focused on political parties? Yes, but not for the position of president.
A growing number of states are experimenting with nonpartisan primaries, in which all voters and candidates participate in a primary election and the top finishers, regardless of party affiliation, face off on Election Day.
These nonpartisan primaries, which are held in state Senate, gubernatorial, and House elections, are not used in presidential elections.
California, Nebraska and Washington use the first-two system. Alaska has a four-candidate system.
Louisiana has so-called "jungle primaries." All candidates for local, state or federal office appear on the Election Day ballot, and if no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers participate in a runoff.
Will there be third party presidential candidates? Yes, the Green Party is likely to have a presidential candidate in most states, and the Libertarian Party hopes to be on the ballot in all 50 states. These parties will elect their candidates at their own conventions.
However, the last time a third party or independent candidate won electoral votes in a general election was in 1968.