ABSTRACT
The 2016 Republican nomination was truly unconventional. The nominee chosen was a businessman who never held public office, the first time this occurred since 1952 when Republicans nominated World War II general Dwight Eisenhower. Donald Trump employed unconventional campaign techniques, as well. Hillary Clinton also used the pre-election season to court key constituency groups and raise funds. The purpose of primaries and caucuses is to select each state's delegates to attend the Democratic or Republican national convention. Each national convention retains the legal authority to pick its party's presidential nominee. Democratic caucus rules are more elaborate, and two rounds of voting might occur before delegate slots are distributed across candidates' supporters. Raising money is a major task during the preseason as well as the election year. Early media coverage of Sanders and Clinton was less extensive than that of the Republicans. Elite endorsements represent the opinion of the last two components of the party: elected officeholders and party officials.
