Claiming The Mantle

How presidential nominations are won before the votes are cast Detailing the formal and informal process of selecting presidential nominees, R Lawrence Butler shows how whichever candidate claims the mantle of the frontrunner early in the campaign always wins because the compression and front-loading of the primary process, combined with the campaign finance system, makes it impossible for anyone else to capitalize on early momentum. Drawing on numerous examples from the 2004 Democratic campaign, and detailed analyses of every contested Republican and Democratic presidential nomination race since 1976, Claiming the Mantle interprets the evolution of the presidential nomination process and explores the unwritten rules of the pre-primary campaign that allow one candidate to "claim the mantle" while the others fall short. Once again, nominees are chosen by party bosses, in most instances before the first votes are cast in Iowa and New Hampshire. The only real difference between the present system and the days of party bosses in smoke-filled rooms is who does the choosing. In addition to party leaders, the fundraisers, political consultants, interest group leaders, and party activists in key states choose a party's nominee for President.