ABSTRACT
To many voters, the presidential nomination process is a bewildering, over-caffeinated media rollercoaster that lasts far too long. This chapter makes sense of the nomination system, beginning with the pre-primaries, calling attention to the significant role that polls and debates play in the selection process, moving through the politically consequential but unrepresentative Iowa and New Hampshire contests, through the later primaries, and culminating with the penultimate media extravaganzas, the nominating conventions. The chapter critically discusses the strengths and shortcomings of the nominating system, with a focus on the role played by political communication.
