Before the Convention

Strategies and Choices in Presidential Nomination Campaigns

John H Aldrich author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Published:9th Oct '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Before the Convention cover

Campaigns to win the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are now longer, more complex, and more confusing to the observer than ever before. The maze of delegate-selection procedures includes state-run primaries and caucuses, while federal election laws govern campaign financing. In "Before the Convention", political scientist John H. Aldrich presents a systematic analysis of presidential nomination politics, based on application of rational-choice models to candidate behavior. Aldrich views the candidates as decision makers with limited resources in a highly competitive environment. From this perspective, he seeks to determine why and how candidates choose to run, why some succeed and others fail, and what consequences the nomination process has for the general election and, later, for the president in office. Now back in print, "Before the Convention" fills a significant gap in the literature on presidential politics and should be of particular importance to specialists in this area. It will be of interest also to everyone who is concerned with understanding the rules of the game for a complicated but vitally important exercise of American democracy.

ISBN: 9780226012704

Dimensions: 23mm x 16mm x 2mm

Weight: 397g

272 pages