ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the rules of the presidential nomination game. When use the term "party leaders" are really talking about several different types of people. One such group is the leadership of the national party—the members and officers of the Democratic and Republican national committees. As the major players in the game, candidates develop strategies to maximize the likelihood of their winning within the established rules. The mechanism that links rules and actions is different for candidates than for party leaders, but the result is similar. Candidates know that they must move to the head of the pack as early as possible in order to win the nomination. The nomination contest is really a race to claim the mantle—the first one to do so wins the prize. By January of election year, often can be fairly confident which candidate will win the nomination. At the very least can identify some candidates who have no serious chance of winning.
