i'm confused now, according to wiki the primaries elect delegates which elect a candidate.
that doesnt make sense, how are the individual candidates getting votes if we are choosing delegates,
the process just doesnt make sense

Quote :

"The 2008 Republican primaries will be the selection process by which the Republicans elect delegates who will then elect the GOP candidate in the 2008 election for President and Vice President of the United States. The primary season is a series of primaries and caucuses culminating in the 2008 Republican National Convention to be held in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota from September 1 until September 4, 2008, where the delegates will vote on who their candidate will be. A simple majority of delegate votes (1,259 out of 2,516) is required to become the party's nominee"

1/3/2008 8:48:05 PM

Because the delegates are considered "committed" like in the Electoral College.

Unless, of course, no candidate gets a majority of committed delegates, in which case the delegates are considered "unbound" and a brokered convention occurs.

It's really pretty simple. Usually a candidate gets a majority of committed delegates.

1/3/2008 8:58:32 PM

on the democratic side...(GOP does not do it this way)

Quote :

"Clinton of New York leads the delegate race as of Thursday, with support from 154 superdelegates, more than three times the number supporting her nearest rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. Obama has the support of 50 superdelegates, followed by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who has the backing of 33 superdelegates. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd have won the support of 19 and 17 superdelegates, respectively, while Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has eight superdelegates in his column. 'CNN Special Coverage' Get the fastest results and latest developments with special coverage of the Iowa caucuses. 8 p.m. ET see full schedule » Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich has the support of one superdelegate -- himself. All sitting Democratic governors, U.S. senators and U.S. representatives are all automatic superdelegates, which means that Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Kucinich, Obama and Richardson each began the race for delegates with at least one vote -- if they cast it for themselves. Democratic superdelegates make up about 800 votes of the just more than 2,000 delegate votes needed to clinch the presidential nomination at their convention."

1/3/2008 9:25:40 PM

Yeah, basically, the Democrats have "delegates" (elected by the primaries/caucuses) and then "superdelegates" (which are a measure of the party establishment's support). Which makes the eventual Democratic nomination a little more complicated than mere primary results - although they can certainly sway who the superdelegates throw their weight behind.

1/3/2008 9:37:22 PM

repubs basically write down who they would vote for.

The dems, true to form, rely on the masses to make up thier mind.

1/3/2008 10:00:04 PM

Its messed up that where I live now, Mississippi, has their primary before North Carolina. Someone needs to work on that. NC is way more culturally and demographically like America than most states, and specifically Mississippi.

1/4/2008 4:08:42 PM