One Day University

The presidential nominating season is shifting into high gear, and it will hit its first climax this January and February when the sole candidates for both major parties will compete in the primaries. There are already aspects to the nominating process that you won’t see in the news. For example, while half of all eligible voters cast ballots in Presidential Elections, only 10 percent—just 20 million citizens—are likely to vote during the nomination process. And of these, only about half of the voters will determine the outcome. About 1 percent—200,000 citizens—contribute most of the financing for the nomination process, and so a tiny fraction of the country’s population influences who can compete in the so-called “money primary.” Even by July, Professor Pious argues, you will be able to tell a good deal about how a contender may operate in the Oval Office based on the nomination process. There are already telltale signs of what an Obama presidency would be like versus a Hilary Clinton presidency, and how a Giuliani presidency would differ from a McCain presidency.