Presidential Primaries and Nominations

Crotty and Jackson, both recognized scholars, present a comprehensive, easy to read, and excellently documented analysis of the entire process of presidential selection and of actual and possible changes therein aimed at its improvement. Chapter 1 puts the process in historical perspective; Chapters 2 and 3 look at recent reforms in the process and at their consequences, including their impact on parties. The next five chapters deal with participation (who participates in the process and what and who the participants represent), delegate characteristics and representativeness, the influence of candidate image and ideology on voters' decisions, financing the preconvention campaign, and the national conventions themselves (how they are organized and what their impact is on candidates' prospects for winning). The final chapter considers the future of the nominating system as described and whether further reform is needed. In the end, they conclude small changes may be necessary, but that overall the process is a pretty satisfactory one. Useful appendixes contain vital statistics on the 1984 primaries and a well constituted index. Altogether, a useful and thought-provoking study. General and academic readers, community college through graduate.-R.H. Leach, Duke University