The Best Candidate

Presidential Nomination in Polarized Times

Eugene D. Mazo, Michael R. Dimino

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9781108835398
• eBook ISBN:
  9781108879804
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Law Theory & Practice
• Index: Law

The way American citizens elect a president in November is enshrined in the Constitution and has remained unchanged for two hundred years. By contrast, the rules by which American political parties nominate their presidential candidates have evolved dramatically over time. In recent years, these byzantine rules have allowed a number of unexpected candidates to win their party's presidential nomination. In The Best Candidate, a roster of leading election law scholars from across the political spectrum - true-blue Democrats, die-hard Republicans, and everyone in between - illuminate the law behind the modern presidential nomination process and offer ideas for how it can be improved. This book offers a blueprint for how American voters and their parties could nominate the best candidate for the presidency, and it should be read by anyone who cares about the occupant of the Oval Office.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Contributors
• Introduction
• 1 Presidential Selection: Historical, Institutional, and Democratic Perspectives
• 2 The Historical Development of the U.S. Presidential Nomination Process
• 3 Constitutional Law and the Presidential Nomination Process
• 4 Winnowing and Endorsing: Separating the Two Distinct Functions of Party Primaries
• 5 Simplifying Presidential Primaries
• 6 The Case for Standardizing Primary Voter Eligibility Rules
• 7 Primary Day: Why Presidential Nominees Should Be Chosen on a Single Day
• 8 A Eulogy for Caucuses
• 9 Floor Fight: Protecting the National Party Conventions from Manipulation
• 10 A Better Financing System? The Death and Possible Rebirth of the Presidential Nomination Public Financing Program
• 11 Campaign Finance Deregulation and the Hyperpolarization of Presidential Nominations in the Super PAC Era
• 12 Democratizing the Presidential Debates
• 13 The Influence of Technology on Presidential Primary Campaigns
• 14 Women and the Presidency
• 15 The Nomination of Presidential Candidates by Minor Political Parties
• 16 Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process: A Curmudgeon’s View
• Index