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Nomination democracy: The state of the presidency
Abstract
Since their inception, presidential primaries have been used selectively by states. In the first move to democratize the nomination process, several states adopted preference primaries at the turn of the century. A number of additional states shifted from the caucus/convention system of delegate selection to presidential primaries in the wake of the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, signifying the second democratization shift. In the third and most recent movement, a number of states in the 1980s and 1990s, hoping to have more influence over the outcome, have moved their contests earlier in the calendar. Focusing on the latter two state shifts, I analyze why some states have enhanced their nomination democracy by implementing primaries, and earlier primary dates, whereas others have not. My findings suggest that Democratic National Committee directives, unified Democratic state government and other factors encouraged states to adopt primaries between 1968 and 1980. Conversely, a desire to have more influence over the outcome, regional primaries, and other political and economic factors encouraged states to adopt earlier presidential primaries in the 1980s and 1990s. Finally, extending research on the benefits of nomination democracy, I find that states earlier in the calendar have more media attention of their unique economic issues, and states in regional primaries have more press coverage of their salient regional economic concerns. The findings, though important for individual states, do not solve the problem of a collectively irrational nomination system. Unlike previous research, which traced state moves to democratize presidential selection to specific local and state conditions, national party directives, and broad domestic political and social forces, I uncover factors that explain variation in nomination democracy across the states. At the same time, I discuss the need for the national parties to do more in forging a "rational" primary calendar. Only when every state has a somewhat equal chance to be a participating member in the nomination game will the system be truly democratic.
Subject Area
Political science|American studies
Recommended Citation
Walz, Jeffrey Shawn, "Nomination democracy: The state of the presidency" (1996). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9637083.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9637083