A new Madison presidency episode is now available!
Feb. 1, 2020

S002 – Primaries vs Caucuses

S002 – Primaries vs Caucuses

Year(s) Discussed: 1901-2008

What is the difference between a primary and a caucus anyway? Listen as I explore that question and discuss the various permutations of both as well as how the presidential primary calendar came to have Iowa and New Hampshire as the first contests in this episode.

Special thanks to Vicky and Erik of the Ransack History podcast, Steve of the History of the Papacy and Beyond the Big Screen podcasts, Sean of the Second Decade podcast, and Alex for providing the intro quotes for this episode!

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  • Busch, Andrew E. Reagan’s Victory: The Presidential Election of 1980 and the Rise of the Right. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2005.
  • Bush, George. All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings. New York: Scribner, 1999.
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  • Heldman, Caroline; Meredith Conroy; and Alissa R Ackerman. Sex and Gender in the 2016 Presidential Election. Santa Barbara, CA and Denver, CO: Praeger, 2018.
  • Iowa PBS. “1968 Creates Need for Change.” Caucus Iowa: Journey to the Presidency. https://wtvi.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/iptv_caucusiowa_02_1968/iptv_caucusiowa_02_1968/ [Last Accessed: 14 Jan 2020]
  • Iowa PBS. “George McGovern’s Early Momentum in 1972.” Caucus Iowa: Journey to the Presidency. https://wtvi.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/iptv_caucusiowa_03_1972/iptv_caucusiowa_03_1972/ [Last Accessed: 14 Jan 2020]
  • Kennedy, Edward M. True Compass: A Memoir. New York: Twelve, 2009.
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2019-2020. http://presidencies.blubrry.com.
  • Miroff, Bruce. The Liberals’ Moment: The McGovern Insurgency and the Identity Crisis of the Democratic Party. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2007.
  • Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: Random House, 2001.
  • Nixon, Richard. RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1978.
  • Ostermeier, Eric. “Meet the New Bellwether States: Ohio and Nevada.” SmartPolitics. 17 Feb 2011. https://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2011/02/17/meet-the-new-bellwether-states/. [Last Accessed: 14 Jan 2020]
  • Tarr, David R, et al. Guide to U.S. Elections, Sixth Edition, Volume I. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010.
  • Witcover, Jules. Marathon: The Pursuit of the Presidency 1972-1976. New York: Viking Press, 1977.

Featured Image: “Senator George McGovern speaking into a microphone” by Warren K Leffler [30 Jun 1972], courtesy of Wikipedia


Featured Image: “Republican Candidates at the Nashua, NH Debate, 1980”, courtesy of Wikipedia