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Thursday, January 15, 2004

Overview of the 2004 Presidential Race

By Darlisa Crawford
Washington File Staff Writer

The 2004 race for the White House begins with the Iowa caucuses on January 19, and then, a little more than a week later the New Hampshire primary on January 27. These initial election events are considered to be the official start to the campaign season, and their outcomes will set the tone for the primaries and caucuses that follow, state by state, until early June. On March 2, "Super Tuesday," 10 states—California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont—will hold primary elections or caucuses. Many believe that the eventual Democratic nominee will be known soon after this date. President Bush, running unopposed for the Republican nomination, is certain to be his party's candidate.

This year there are nine Democratic contenders—former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards (North Carolina), Congressman Richard Gephardt (Missouri), Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts), Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Senator Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut) and Reverend Alfred Sharpton.

In recent elections, presidential candidates have begun their campaigns more than a year before the first caucuses and primaries. The media, public opinion polls and fundraising test a candidate's popularity long before any votes are cast. Therefore, candidates must get their message out and attract new supporters early in the process. They also need to
maintain their momentum and continue to bring in funds through the lengthy election cycle: the primaries, the political conventions and the general campaign.

Another reason getting off to a fast start is crucial is the increasingly early scheduling of primaries and caucuses, a phenomenon known as "front-loading." Various states, hoping to play a more decisive role in the process, have scheduled their primaries and caucuses early in 2004. Other states—Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Washington—have reacted to this front-loading of the campaign calendar by canceling their primaries altogether in the belief that a late primary will have little impact on the outcome, and choosing instead to save the millions of dollars required to stage an election.

Results from the primaries and caucuses gradually lessen the number of candidates, as some contenders drop out, and determine how many delegates will be pledged to each candidate. The delegates come together at their parties' national convention, held during the summer, where a final selection is made for the presidential and vice presidential nominee, and their policy positions, or "platforms." The Democratic National Convention will take place July 26th -- 29th in Boston, Massachusetts. The Republican National Convention will take place in New York City from August 30th -- September 2nd, the latest a Republican national convention has ever been held.

The financing of campaigns remains an issue of great attention and controversy. The McCain-Feingold Law, recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, places some restrictions on how money for political campaigns can be raised and spent. Despite these limitations, however, candidates and parties will spend many hundreds of millions of dollars on television and radio advertising, direct voter outreach and so-called "issue ads" promoting political positions on specific issues without endorsing a candidate by name. The federal government also provides funding to help national candidates finance the campaigns for their parties' nominations, but several candidates, including President Bush, Senator Kerry, and Howard Dean, the current Democratic front runner, have opted out of this system, believing they can raise more funds by themselves. This decision will free all three candidates from a $45 million spending limit, which is imposed on any candidate who receives such public funding. All three candidates believe they can raise larger amounts than $18.8 million in public subsidies through the nominating conventions for their campaign.

At the general election on November 2 voters across the country cast their votes for president. But a nationwide popular vote does not determine the winner. In actuality, voters have selected a slate of "electors" to the Electoral College, a system written into the U.S. Constitution by the Founding Fathers. In all states except Maine and Nebraska, the party that wins the popular vote commits all of its electors—each state is entitled to as many electors as it has U.S. senators and representatives in Congress—to the winning candidate.

On December 13, 2004 the electors will meet and vote for president and vice president. The two-party electoral system of Democrats and Republicans requires an absolute majority of the 50 states or 270 electoral votes, since there are 538 total electoral votes. The votes are certified by state authorities and sent to Washington, D.C. where on January 6, 2005, the votes will be counted by the president of the Senate, with the full Senate and House of Representatives in attendance. At that time, the candidate officially becomes the winner and president-elect.

The inauguration of the new president takes place at noon on January 20, 2005, ending an election process that began early two years before.
posted by sasha @ 5:16 PM

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