Historically, candidates for President would have worked their way up through the party (usually Republican or Democrat).

Historically, candidates for President would have worked their way up through the party (usually Republican or Democrat). They would have entered at a lower position – maybe running for local office, then Congress, Governor or Senator and, having established a record of policies and successes would then use party support to campaign for to be the nominee of that party for President. The party was very invested in who represented them on the ticket.

On page 256 of your text they begin to discuss different strategies for running for President. Read the next few pages rather carefully and think about how they apply to the current nominees.

1. Which strategy is each of our current candidates using? Why do you say that?

2. What is the difference between party or issue centered and candidate centered campaigns?

3. Does the candidate-centered nature of campaigns preclude predictable policy outcomes at the party level (and at the same time, does such a model alleviate political responsibility by the parties)?

4. If the candidate-centered model appears to be the new standard (in opposition to party-centered campaigns), why haven’t third-party candidates become more successful?