Civics 101 Primaries and Caucuses
Sep 24, 2019
Domenico Montanaro, NPR senior political editor who breaks down delegate mechanics, and Lauren Chooljian, NHPR reporter familiar with New Hampshire politics and the 1968 convention. They explore how pledged delegates and superdelegates work. They walk through caucus rituals like Iowa’s timed realignment. They discuss New Hampshire’s retail politics and why early states wield outsized influence.
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Delegates Decide, Voters Influence
- Voters in primaries and caucuses are actually selecting delegates, not directly choosing the nominee.
- Delegates (pledged and superdelegates) then vote at the convention where a 51% majority decides the nominee.
U.S. Nomination Process Is Unusually Local
- Caucuses and primaries are rare compared with other democracies and are uniquely American.
- The shift to public primaries expanded voter input away from party bosses through 20th-century progressive reforms.
1968 Convention Fueled Reform
- The 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago showed party control could override primary results, creating public backlash.
- That backlash led parties to open up the nomination process, enabling outsiders like Jimmy Carter to win via early-state campaigning.
