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.
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1. Presidential selection: historical, institutional, and democratic perspectives James A. Gardner; 2. The historical development of the U.S. presidential nomination process Richard H. Pildes; 3. Constitutional law and the presidential nomination process Richard Briffault; 4. Winnowing and endorsing: separating the two distinct functions of party primaries Edward B. Foley; 5. Simplying presidential primaries Derek T. Muller; 6. The case for standardizing primary voter eligibility rules Michael R. Dimino; 7. Primary day: why presidential nominees should be chosen on a single day Eugene D. Mazo; 8. A eulogy for caucuses Sean J. Wright; 9. Floor fight: protecting the national party conventions from manipulation Michael T. Morley; 10. A better financing system? The death and possible rebirth of the presidential nomination public financing program Richard Briffault; 11. Campaign finance deregulation and the hyperpolarization of presidential nominations in the super PAC era Michael S. Kang; 12. Democratizing the presidential debates Ann M. Ravel and Charlotte Hill; 13. The impact of technology on presidential primary campaigns Anthony J. Gaughan; 14. Women and the presidency Cynthia Richie Terrell; 15. The nomination of presidential candidates by minor political parties Richard Winger; Chapter 16. Reforming the U.S. presidential nominating process: a curmudgeon's view Bradley A. Smit.
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'Essential reading for all who strive to understand the presidential nomination process.' Guy-Uriel E. Charles, Edward and Ellen Schwarzman Professor of Law, Duke Law School
Leading scholars examine the law governing the American presidential nomination process and offer practical ideas for reform.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781108793322
Publisert
2020-09-17
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
650 gr
Høyde
230 mm
Bredde
150 mm
Dybde
30 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
414

Biographical note

Eugene D. Mazo is Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Rutgers University and a nationally recognized scholar of election law. He is the co-editor of several books, including Democracy by the People: Reforming Campaign Finance in America (2018) and Election Law Stories (2016). He is the chair of the Section on Election Law at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), where he also serves on the executive committee of the Section on Constitutional Law. A graduate of Columbia College, Professor Mazo received his master's degree from Harvard University, a doctorate in politics from Oxford University, and his J.D. from Stanford Law School. Michael R. Dimino is Professor of Law at the Widener University Commonwealth School of Law, where he also specializes in election law. He is the co-author of a major casebook in the field, Voting Rights and Election Law (2015), and of a leading treatise, Understanding Election Law and Voting Rights (2016). In 2011 and 2017, Widener University awarded Dimino its Douglas E. Ray Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship. A former Fulbright Scholar, Professor Dimino is a member of the American Law Institute. He received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.