While the major political parties still are determining their nominees, Independents and third-party candidates are considering their own bids for the presidency. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announces he will not be a candidate, as consumer advocate Ralph Nader launches another run for the White House.
The 2008 Republican National Convention, September 1-4 in Minnesota's "Twin Cities" of St. Paul and Minneapolis, will be the Republican Party’s 39th national convention and the second such gathering it has held in Minnesota. In 1892, Minneapolis hosted the 10th Republican convention, which women were allowed to attend for the first time.
Conventional wisdom holds that presidential primaries and caucuses attract voters with high political motivation. Frequently, they are party activists or agenda-driven voters. Not so in 2008. Voting turnout records are being broken in most states, and voters represent a broader constituency than usual.
As citizens in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia (Washington) went to the polls February 12, bitter weather did not keep campaign volunteers from making efforts to sway voters. The volunteers were joined by high school students from Georgia, Russia and Ukraine -- who went to the polls to view U.S. democracy in action.
After a week of winning every Democratic contest across the country, Illinois Senator Barack Obama has a slight delegate lead in the Democratic presidential nominee race. Arizona Senator John McCain’s recent victories, including in states that use winner-take-all systems to award delegates, bring him close to earning the Republican nod.
Radio talk shows are not affecting the 2008 campaign, observers tell America.gov. Columnist Tim Cuprisin says talk radio’s political power has “always been inflated” by the hosts themselves, while editor Michael Harrison says the only shocking thing about talk radio is that listeners believe radio hosts “are in the political business.”
Bad weather does not discourage voters during three primary elections, dubbed the “Potomac Primaries” after the river that runs through Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The February 12 primaries put presidential contender Democrat Barack Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton in delegates. John McCain wins most Republican votes.
“The Nebraska Democratic Presidential Caucuses are very important. … For once, the race will not be over before Nebraska’s voice can be heard,” according to Vic Covalt, chair of the Lancaster County Democratic Party Caucus. Nebraska Democrats hold the first presidential preference caucuses in the state’s history on February 9.
The withdrawal of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney from the presidential race clears the way for Arizona Senator John McCain to claim the party’s nomination, but two major questions still face the Republican Party: Will the party’s conservatives support the moderate McCain? And who will be the vice presidential nominee?
Although the delegates still are being counted across the country, it is clear that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton emerged from Super Tuesday as a clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Both candidates now are turning their attention to a handful of states that are voting throughout the next week.
Despite early predictions that the parties’ presidential nominees would be clear after February 5, no candidate has enough delegates to ensure majorities at the national conventions. While Arizona Senator John McCain takes a strong lead in the Republican race, Super Tuesday leaves the Democratic contest between New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama extremely close.
When Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama January 28, he moved Obama one vote closer to becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee. Kennedy is a “superdelegate” to the Democratic Party's convention, so his vote -- along with other party leaders' votes -- will be counted to determine the party’s nominee.
Nearly 80 million registered voters will have the opportunity to cast their vote for a presidential nominee on February 5 -- the most ever on a single day in the history of primaries and caucuses. About 42 percent of each party's delegates will be awarded in a series of nominating events collectively known as Super Tuesday.