ABSTRACT
In the 2012 Republican presidential primary Jon Huntsman, Jr., was feared by the Democrats (Gibson 2012). Sadly for the former Utah governor, he may have appealed to the Republicans’ pragmatic desire to win, but he failed to ignite their passion and floundered. Political marketing research usually focuses on serving the general electorate, but in the United States candidates first must win a primary, meaning candidates face at least two markets. Thus here we discuss and test: (1) What does a voter’s preference in a primary mean? and (2) What market do candidates focus on?
