Primaries and Caucuses

• Primaries were previously beauty contests to gauge public attitudes ( Kennedy )
• In 2020 only 3 states used them: Iowa, Nevada, Wyoming
• They show popular support for candidates and choose delegates to attend NPC
• Iowa and New Hampshire protect their status as first in the nation by holding theirs in January
• frontloading = happens when states compete to make their primaries earlier so that they can increase their influence in the selection of the parties’ candidates
• Super Tuesday = when most states do their primaries and caucuses
• Invisible primaries or money primaries are the very beginning of the real campaign
• invisible campaigns = the period of the time between when a candidate expresses their interest to run and the start of the primaries season
• money raised through grassroots campaigns forms the campaign is called war chest
• Open primary


  Electors can participate regardless of whether they are registered to that political party
• Closed primary


  Electors can only participate in the election if they have been registered to that party for a period
• Caucuses

  The most famous caucuses take place in Iowa , which is historically has started off the presidential nomination process. They are a public meeting of supporters, rather than an election which is used in many other states
• Semi open / closed primaries


  this is where voters pre registered to a party can only vote in that party’s primary
• Independent, non affiliated voters can choose on polling day which party primary to vote in
• Closed primary

  O - Oregon
• Closed primary

  F - Florida
• Open primary

  M - Montana
• Open primary

  T - Texas
• Semi closed primary

  I - Idaho
• Semi closed primary 


  U - Utah