The imperfect primary: oddities, biases, and strengths of U.S. presidential nomination politics

The complex and ever-changing rules governing American presidential nomination contests are continuously up for criticism, but there is little to no consensus on exactly what the problems are, or on how to fix them. The evolving system is hardly rational because it was never carefully planned. So how are we to make sense of the myriad complexities in the primary process, how it affects the general election, and calls for change?In this thoroughly updated second edition of The Imperfect Primary, political scientist Barbara Norrander explores how presidential candidates are nominated, how that p

Explores how presidential candidates are nominated, discusses various proposals for reform, and examines the possibility for practical, incremental changes to the electoral rules. This title shows students the advantages, disadvantages, and potential for unintended consequences in a whole host of reform proposals