National Primary
Encyclopedia
A national primary is a proposed system for conducting the United States presidential primaries and caucuses
, in which all of the primaries and caucuses would occur on the same day (not currently the case).
for a national primary was introduced in Congress
by Representative
Richard Hobson of Alabama
in 1911. President
Woodrow Wilson
endorsed the concept. Since that time 125 similar bills have been introduced. Support was strong in 1913 with the Senate discussing the plan for an hour and deciding that there was general support for President Wilson's reforms. In 1915, Senator Atlee Pomerene of Ohio
, Chairman of the sub-committee examining President Wilson's plan, came to the conclusion that an amendment to the Constitution was needed before such a national primary could occur.
events—days where large numbers of states hold their primaries—have been scheduled in February or March of elections dating back to 1984. There were three Super Tuesday events in 1984. Nine southern states turned the 1988 event into a major regional contest. Twenty-four states participated in 2008, the most states to have done so in the history of Super Tuesdays.
According to Senator Spencer Abraham
, "the trend of frontloading, which will, in the not too distant future, produce a single national primary day is a disturbing trend that needs attention. To have the selection process essentially come down to a single day of dozens of primaries ensures little to no deliberation on this extremely important decision. It would result in minimal give-and-take on issues such that the succeeding candidate would not be the product of a thoughtful issue discussion."
Former Oklahoma
Governor Frank Keating
"also concur[s] fully in the Commission's belief that a national primary would NOT be a welcome replacement for the current system, since it would create as many problems as it might solve."
According to Terry Shumaker in the Transcript of the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, "we need to preserve the possibility for lesser known, lesser funded candidates to compete, and a national primary on February 5th will not do that."
Early Votes
Reform Plans
United States presidential primary
The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses is one of the first steps in the process of electing the President of the United States of America. The primary elections are run by state and local governments, while caucuses are private events run by the political parties...
, in which all of the primaries and caucuses would occur on the same day (not currently the case).
Early attempts
The first billBill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
for a national primary was introduced in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
by Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Richard Hobson of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in 1911. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
endorsed the concept. Since that time 125 similar bills have been introduced. Support was strong in 1913 with the Senate discussing the plan for an hour and deciding that there was general support for President Wilson's reforms. In 1915, Senator Atlee Pomerene of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Chairman of the sub-committee examining President Wilson's plan, came to the conclusion that an amendment to the Constitution was needed before such a national primary could occur.
Super Tuesday
Super TuesdaySuper Tuesday
In the United States, Super Tuesday, in general, refers to the Tuesday in February or March of a presidential election year when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to select delegates to national conventions at which each party's presidential candidates are officially nominated...
events—days where large numbers of states hold their primaries—have been scheduled in February or March of elections dating back to 1984. There were three Super Tuesday events in 1984. Nine southern states turned the 1988 event into a major regional contest. Twenty-four states participated in 2008, the most states to have done so in the history of Super Tuesdays.
Arguments For
The system of staggered primaries means that voters in later primaries may find that the nominee has already been selected before they vote.(For instance, New York, the third-largest state, voted after the nominees had been selected in both parties in both 2000 and 2004.) Disproportionate power is given to the earliest primaries, with candidates who lose them being considered non-viable, even though they may have a lot of support in larger states.Criticisms
The major flaw in the concept is that it takes the phenomenon of frontloading, which other reform plans seek to alleviate, to its ultimate conclusion. Candidates would need to raise huge sums of money, before the first vote was cast in any state, in order to wage a nation-wide campaign. Neither the Republican National Committee's 2000 Advisory Commission on the Presidential Nominating Process nor the Democratic National Committee's 2005 Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling considered a national primary as a reform concept; rather they considered it the consequence of inadequate action to reform the process.According to Senator Spencer Abraham
Spencer Abraham
Edmund Spencer Abraham is a former United States Senator from Michigan. He served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy, serving under President George W. Bush. Abraham is one of the founders of the Federalist Society....
, "the trend of frontloading, which will, in the not too distant future, produce a single national primary day is a disturbing trend that needs attention. To have the selection process essentially come down to a single day of dozens of primaries ensures little to no deliberation on this extremely important decision. It would result in minimal give-and-take on issues such that the succeeding candidate would not be the product of a thoughtful issue discussion."
Former Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Governor Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
"also concur[s] fully in the Commission's belief that a national primary would NOT be a welcome replacement for the current system, since it would create as many problems as it might solve."
According to Terry Shumaker in the Transcript of the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, "we need to preserve the possibility for lesser known, lesser funded candidates to compete, and a national primary on February 5th will not do that."
See also
- United States presidential primaryUnited States presidential primaryThe series of presidential primary elections and caucuses is one of the first steps in the process of electing the President of the United States of America. The primary elections are run by state and local governments, while caucuses are private events run by the political parties...
- United States presidential electionUnited States presidential electionElections for President and Vice President of the United States are indirect elections in which voters cast ballots for a slate of electors of the U.S. Electoral College, who in turn directly elect the President and Vice President...
- United States presidential election debatesUnited States presidential election debatesDuring presidential elections in the United States, it has become customary for the main candidates to engage in a debate...
- American presidential debate
- United States presidential nominating conventionUnited States presidential nominating conventionA United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election...
- United States Electoral CollegeUnited States Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
Early Votes
- Ames (Iowa) Straw PollAmes Straw PollThe Ames Straw Poll is a presidential straw poll taken by Iowa Republicans. It occurs in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided...
on a Saturday in August prior to the election year, since 1979 - Iowa caucusIowa caucusThe Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
first official election year event since 1972 - New Hampshire primaryNew Hampshire primaryThe New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
first national primary stop since 1952
Reform Plans
- United States presidential primary reform proposals
- Graduated Random Presidential Primary SystemGraduated Random Presidential Primary SystemThe Graduated Random Presidential Primary System, also known as the California Plan or the American Plan, is a proposed system to reform the conduct of United States Presidential primary campaigns. Under this system the campaign period would be broken into ten two-week periods in which an...
- Delaware PlanDelaware PlanThe Delaware Plan is a proposed system to reorganize the state presidential primary elections amongst the 50 states and the several territories of the United States...
- Rotating Regional Primary SystemRotating Regional Primary SystemThe Rotating Regional Primary System is a proposed system for reform of the United States presidential primary process. Under the plan, the country would be divided into four regions...
- Interregional Primary PlanInterregional Primary PlanThe Interregional Primary Plan is a proposed reform to the United States primary calendar supported by Representative Sandy Levin and Senator Bill Nelson, both Democrats. The plan would break the country into six regions...