primary season

Examples of primary season in the following topics:

• The General Election Campaign

  • The presidential general election occurs after the primary season and is the process through which a national vote chooses the president.
  • In the United States, a presidential election is held every four years and includes both a primary season and a general election.
  • During the primary season, the two major political parties narrow the field of candidates through state votes to nominate the party's candidate for the general election.
  • In the primary season, candidates compete against other members of their party to win a majority of votes from voters within their own party.
  • The presidential general election lasts from the end of the primary season, usually in June, until the vote on the first Tuesday of November.

• Primaries and Caucuses

  • The Iowa caucuses are the first nominating election to occur in the presidential primary season and, therefore, they often have a significant impact on later primaries.
  • Not every election is preceded by a primary season, but most major races, such as presidential and congressional races, use primaries to narrow the field of candidates.
  • The vast majority of states use primaries to nominate a candidate, but caucuses are notably used in Iowa, which is traditionally the first state to vote in the primary/caucus season.
  • Since Iowa is first, it has a large impact on the primary season, as it gives one candidate from each party an advantage as they move into other state votes.
  • Summarize the primary system and how a primary differs from a caucus

• Nominating Candidates

  • To nominate candidates, political parties hold primary elections.
  • Primary elections are used to narrow the field of candidates for the general election.
  • During primary campaigns, state delegates are assigned to a primary candidate based on the outcome of a statewide vote.
  • Whichever primary candidate emerges from the primary election with the most delegates becomes the party's presumptive nominee.
  • The presumptive nominee is not formally nominated until the national convention, but he or she is all but assured of a place on the ballot in the general election by the conclusion of the primary season.

• Organizing Campaigns and Elections

  • At the start of the preliminary election season, the DNC and RNC are responsible for establishing the rules for the caucuses and primary elections.
  • These caucuses and primaries are usually not run by the DNC and RNC but instead by the state.

• Television Debates

  • It was not until 1976 that a second series of televised presidential debates was held during the general election campaign season.
  • Earlier in the election season, President Carter had a lead over opponent Governor Ronald Reagan.

• Likeability of Political Candidates

  • Polling agencies conduct surveys of potential voters during election seasons to measure how the electorate ranks the traits of candidates.

• Types of Elections

  • A primary election is an election that narrows the field of candidates before the general election.
  • Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election.
  • In the case of closed primaries, only party members can vote.
  • By contrast, in an open primary all voters may cast votes on a ballot of any party.
  • The party may require them to express their support to the party's values and pay a small contribution to the costs of the primary.

• Regulating Campaign Finance

  • Although most campaign spending is privately financed, public financing is available for qualifying candidates for President of the United States during both the primaries and the general election.
  • To receive subsidies in the primary, candidates must qualify by privately raising $5000 each in at least 20 states.
  • From the inception of this program in 1976 through 1992, almost all candidates who could qualify accepted matching funds in the primary.
  • In 2004 Bush and Democrats John Kerry and Howard Dean chose not to take matching funds in the primary.
  • In 2008, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republicans John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul decided not to take primary matching funds.

• Head of State

  • President Woodrow Wilson throws out the ball on opening day of baseball season, 1916.

• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

  • In the 2012 presidential election, super PACs have played a major role, spending more than the candidates' election campaigns in the Republican primaries.
  • The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 prohibited corporations and unions from using their general treasury to fund "electioneering communications" within 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election.
  • During the 2004 presidential campaign, a conservative nonprofit organization named Citizens United filed a complaint before the Federal Election Commission (FEC) charging that advertisements for Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, a documentary critical of the Bush administration's response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, constituted political advertising and thus could not be aired within the 30 days before a primary election or 60 days before a general election.
  • In January 2008, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the television advertisements for Hillary: The Movie violated the BCRA restrictions of "electioneering communications" within 30 days of a primary.
  • In the 2012 presidential election, super PACs have played a major role, spending more than the candidates' election campaigns in the Republican primaries.