Party Nominations II

1
Party Nominations II

• American Political Parties
• Prof. Wolbrecht
• 9 February 2009

2
Jacksonian Period (1820-1840)

• Replace presidential nominations by congressional
  caucus with conventions
• History
• Dissatisfaction and experimentation in 1820s
• First Antimasons (1831)
• National Republicans (later in 1831)
• Democratic-Republicans (1832)
• Conventions by all ever since

3
Since 1950s

• Changes
• Early disputes
• McGovern-Fraser Commission (post-1968)
• Rules
• Required state parties take affirmative steps
  to ensure representation of blacks, women, and
  youth in reasonable relationship to state
  population
• Required written rules for delegate selection,
  public notice of meetings, uniform statewide
  dates and times
• Made it easier to qualify as a delegate
• Banned the unit rule (that is, required PR)
• Required delegates to state candidate choice or
  uncommitted

4
Since 1950s

• Changes
• Early disputes
• McGovern-Fraser Commission (post-1968)
• Democrats continue to tinker with rules
• Gradually shifted toward giving some power back
  to party elites
• Introduction of Superdelegates (1984)
• All Democratic governors, MCs, current and former
  presidents and VPs, big city mayors, members of
  the DNC
• Almost 20 of all delegates
• Not that influential (usually!) since nomination
  concluded so quickly