What are the presidential primaries?

Question

What is a caucus? What's the whole deal with Iowa and New Hampshire?

Answer 1

All of these Pesidential Primary elections are means of each of the major political parties choosing delegates to their national conventions, who, in turn, will nominate their candidates for president, vice president, and the political platform of the party. They also will nominate the candidates for state and local political offices in many states.

Presidential primaries may be winner-take-all, or proportional selection of delegates, pledged to one candidate or other, for one, two or more ballots. Also, the national press will count the number of votes each candidate actually receives to get an idea of the strength of particular candidates.

A caucus is a sort of mini-convention, where ordinary citizens of a political party may meet in a city or county, and after listening to representatives of the candidates, divide up, and determine how many delegates may be sent to represent each candidate in a state party convention, to select national delegates. It is more free-wheeling, like an old New England town meeting in which ordinary people can first express their views and choose who to endorse. It is usually divided up by population, depending on how many citizens turn out.

New Hampshire, for traditional reasons, has always prided itself as first state to hold their primary, so they can get national candidates to come to New Hampshire and meet the people and listen to the concerns of a small state that otherwise would be overlooked, since they have an insignificantly small population. It is the first place to test the skills of candidates. But it may be misleading, as it is a state with few minorities, few cities, and few of the issues of the rest of America.

Iowa started a couple of decades ago as a first caucus state, to get the same candidates to visit that state, and hear their concerns, and seek their support. They too are a small state, with a limited number of issues that would be on the minds of politicians in large industrial states with huge populations.

Now, states have started setting their primaries earlier and earlier, to get more publicity. Nevada will hold its first caucus this January, and seeks to get the candidates to visit that state. California, which has been angry that the candidates were already chosen before their primary in the summer, is planning to move their primary to February next year. If that is going to happen, of course, there is more chance of candidates spending more time in the West Coast than in smaller rural states, because the number of delegates in New York and California could determine the nomination, but not the delegates in rural states.

In many states that have a statewide general election, and statewide primaries at the same time as the national primaries, there may be nominations for Senate, House of Representatives , governor, state officers, the state legislature, county officials, and city and local races as well, and state ballot initiatives, referendums and local propositions as well. So, these issues may involve presidential candidates as well, depending on what they are about, and whether the candidates want to take a position on these races. .

Answer 2

A primary is an election solely within the party to determine who the eventual candidate will be. Example: Obama and Clinton are both on the Democrat ticket. Only a registered Democrat can vote which one will be the national candidate. A caucus is only a grouping of all the party's candidates - all Democrats in one caucus and Republicans in another. Actually the only significance in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries is they are the first. Gotta start somewhere

Answer 3

I believe the primaries are when everyone running for president, in their respective parties, campaign against their own party members for the nomination of their party ,Democrats run against Democrats &Republicans run against Republicans,Independents run also ect.the caucus as in Iowa helps determine a front runner.in the respective parties .

Answer 4

Each party chooses who they want to represent them in primaries. Registered voters vote for a candidate in their own party only. Ex., Democrats will vote to select whether Clinton or Obama will be the Democratic presidential candidate.

Answer 5

What are state primary elections?

Answer 6

I don 't believe that a convicted felon has the right to vote at all. I think they lose that right when they are convicted. Which is the way it should be.

Answer 7

suck my caucus