Daniel Galvin: History as a Guide to the Presidential Primaries? Nah…
[Daniel Galvin is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University. His primary areas of research and teaching are the American presidency, political parties, and American political development. He is co-editor of Rethinking Political Institutions: The Art of the State. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University.]
Is anyone else bothered by the seemingly constant reference to what “normally,” “usually,” “always,” and “never” happens in presidential primaries? News reports seem to be filled with these adverbs-of-certainty.
The contemporary era of presidential primaries began in 1972, when both parties made big changes to their nominee-selection rules. Those rules weren’t truly settled until 1976. With some minor, but not insignificant, adjustments (think: increasingly front-loaded primary calendar), the rules are essentially the same today.
So what kind of ‘dataset’ does this give us? How much can we glean from the history of presidential primaries?
Well, not much.
We want to compare this year’s contest to like contests in the past – i.e., nomination battles where there wasn’t a clear front-runner. Unlike contests – where there was a sitting president running for reelection or a ‘presumptive’ nominee all the way through – won’t tell us much about the dynamics of this year’s races.
For the Republicans, there’s 1976, when Ford and Reagan had a serious contest for the nomination all the way through to the convention. In 1980, Reagan was the front-runner, but let’s be generous and count this one as an open contest, as the elder Bush gave the Gipper a good run for his money. Next came a string of ho-hum nomination contests. In 1984, Reagan was the incumbent. In 1988, George Bush was the Vice President and presumptive nominee. In 1992, Bush was the incumbent. 1996 wasn’t much of a fight – Dole was the ‘presumptive’ nominee in that one. 2000 wasn’t terribly exciting either, though it may have been the most exciting contest since 1980. But that’s not saying much, as George W. Bush amassed such a large campaign war-chest so early in the cycle that he was vaulted to front-runner status rather quickly. In 2004, Bush Jr. was the incumbent.
So when we look to the past to understand what ‘usually,’ ‘never,’ or ‘normally’ happens in the Republican primary contest, we’re really only talking about 1 good comparison (1976) and 1 pretty good comparison (1980). Note that both involve the Republican legend Ronald Reagan, and both took place over 25 years ago.
For the Democrats, 1976 was open, and should count as a good comparison. In 1980, Carter was the incumbent. 1984 is a good case. 1988, a pretty good case, too. 1992 might seem to be a good comparison, but it’s not — that Democratic primary fight was actually quite different from this one. True, Clinton didn’t lock up the nomination until the primaries were well underway, but he never faced the kind of credible challenge that his wife faces from Obama.
In 1996, Clinton was the incumbent. In 2000, despite Bradley’s best attempt, Gore was clearly ‘presumptive.’ 2004 was exciting until Iowa elevated Kerry to front-runner status, and then it got pretty dull pretty fast — nothing like two credible nominees heading into Super-Duper Tuesday and likely beyond that.
So on the Democratic side, when we try to use history as a guide to what’s happening – and going to happen – this year, we’re talking about three good comparisons (1976, 1984, and 1988). That’s better than on the GOP side of things, but it’s still only barely useful ‘data.’
I’m one of those historically-oriented political scientists who, as a general rule, eagerly consults the historical record to understand what’s going on today. But when it comes to the presidential primaries, there’s simply not a whole lot to learn from history.
But please don’t misunderstand me — I’m not cynical or completely dismissive of those news reports that purport to tell you what “usually” happens in open primary contests. I just think they’re overreaching.
And I just think we’d do better to sit back, relax, and enjoy the state-by-state process of determining each party’s nominee. What the primary voters decide actually matters this time around. It doesn’t get any better than this! (That is, unless we find ourselves with the tantalizing prospect of brokered conventions…but more on that later, if it should come to pass.)
Read entire article at Britannica Blog
Is anyone else bothered by the seemingly constant reference to what “normally,” “usually,” “always,” and “never” happens in presidential primaries? News reports seem to be filled with these adverbs-of-certainty.
The contemporary era of presidential primaries began in 1972, when both parties made big changes to their nominee-selection rules. Those rules weren’t truly settled until 1976. With some minor, but not insignificant, adjustments (think: increasingly front-loaded primary calendar), the rules are essentially the same today.
So what kind of ‘dataset’ does this give us? How much can we glean from the history of presidential primaries?
Well, not much.
We want to compare this year’s contest to like contests in the past – i.e., nomination battles where there wasn’t a clear front-runner. Unlike contests – where there was a sitting president running for reelection or a ‘presumptive’ nominee all the way through – won’t tell us much about the dynamics of this year’s races.
For the Republicans, there’s 1976, when Ford and Reagan had a serious contest for the nomination all the way through to the convention. In 1980, Reagan was the front-runner, but let’s be generous and count this one as an open contest, as the elder Bush gave the Gipper a good run for his money. Next came a string of ho-hum nomination contests. In 1984, Reagan was the incumbent. In 1988, George Bush was the Vice President and presumptive nominee. In 1992, Bush was the incumbent. 1996 wasn’t much of a fight – Dole was the ‘presumptive’ nominee in that one. 2000 wasn’t terribly exciting either, though it may have been the most exciting contest since 1980. But that’s not saying much, as George W. Bush amassed such a large campaign war-chest so early in the cycle that he was vaulted to front-runner status rather quickly. In 2004, Bush Jr. was the incumbent.
So when we look to the past to understand what ‘usually,’ ‘never,’ or ‘normally’ happens in the Republican primary contest, we’re really only talking about 1 good comparison (1976) and 1 pretty good comparison (1980). Note that both involve the Republican legend Ronald Reagan, and both took place over 25 years ago.
For the Democrats, 1976 was open, and should count as a good comparison. In 1980, Carter was the incumbent. 1984 is a good case. 1988, a pretty good case, too. 1992 might seem to be a good comparison, but it’s not — that Democratic primary fight was actually quite different from this one. True, Clinton didn’t lock up the nomination until the primaries were well underway, but he never faced the kind of credible challenge that his wife faces from Obama.
In 1996, Clinton was the incumbent. In 2000, despite Bradley’s best attempt, Gore was clearly ‘presumptive.’ 2004 was exciting until Iowa elevated Kerry to front-runner status, and then it got pretty dull pretty fast — nothing like two credible nominees heading into Super-Duper Tuesday and likely beyond that.
So on the Democratic side, when we try to use history as a guide to what’s happening – and going to happen – this year, we’re talking about three good comparisons (1976, 1984, and 1988). That’s better than on the GOP side of things, but it’s still only barely useful ‘data.’
I’m one of those historically-oriented political scientists who, as a general rule, eagerly consults the historical record to understand what’s going on today. But when it comes to the presidential primaries, there’s simply not a whole lot to learn from history.
But please don’t misunderstand me — I’m not cynical or completely dismissive of those news reports that purport to tell you what “usually” happens in open primary contests. I just think they’re overreaching.
And I just think we’d do better to sit back, relax, and enjoy the state-by-state process of determining each party’s nominee. What the primary voters decide actually matters this time around. It doesn’t get any better than this! (That is, unless we find ourselves with the tantalizing prospect of brokered conventions…but more on that later, if it should come to pass.)