Category Archives: political parties

“RNC Rules: Insiders Speak Out on Contested Convention”

March 18, 2016, 7:28 amcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

NBC News: If no presidential candidate wins a majority of delegates and Republicans face a contested convention this summer, a small group of party insiders will have huge sway over who wins — and how to resolve a rift… Continue reading

“Cleveland One Step Ahead of Trump’s Convention Riots Prediction”

March 18, 2016, 7:02 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

“The Grim Reality of American Politics”

March 17, 2016, 3:44 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Mann and Ornstein in the Atlantic: Donald Trump’s emergence as the GOP frontrunner and likely nominee creates an existential crisis for the Republican Party, as the angry populism exploited and incited by Republican leaders in Congress to regain majority control… Continue reading

Judge Merrick Garland: A Moderate Liberal on Election Law Issues, With Questions About Boldness

March 17, 2016, 10:02 amcampaign finance, political parties, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have now had a chance to review the substantive election law decisions of Judge Merrick Garland that my research assistant and I have identified (listed after the jump). With the caveat that the job of a lower court judge… Continue reading

“Wild card for Trump: Who gets to be a convention delegate?”

March 17, 2016, 7:55 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

Good Luck with That Dep’t

March 17, 2016, 7:53 amcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Bernie Sanders now sees path to nomination relying on Democratic superdelegates.

“Ginsberg Warns of ‘Political Guerilla Warfare’ at Contested GOP Convention”

March 17, 2016, 7:38 amcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Bloomberg: With prospects for the first contested Republican convention in 40 years on the rise, GOP super-lawyer and election-law expert Ben Ginsberg says that selecting the actual delegates at state conventions in the coming months will “be sort of… Continue reading

“GOP official: The party chooses the nominee, not the voters”

March 16, 2016, 7:44 pmpolitical partiesRick Hasen

The Hill: “The media has created the perception that the voters will decide the nomination,” Curly Haugland said in an interview with CNBC. “That’s the conflict here.” “The political parties choose their nominees, not the general public, contrary to… Continue reading

“Bribery and the Brokered Convention?”

March 16, 2016, 1:36 pmbribery, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Fascinating Brian Svoboda on whether RNC delegates at a contested convention could be bribed: Can Chicago’s experience in 1860 repeat itself in Cleveland in 2016? One recentcommentator suggested that, after the first ballot, presidential contenders “would engage in a… Continue reading

Justice Kennedy Asks for Response in Montana Open Primary Case, Potentially Affecting Trump

March 16, 2016, 1:24 pmpolitical parties, primaries, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Following up on this post, Justice Kennedy has requested a response from Montana by March 22.

“A fair way to choose a Republican nominee”

March 16, 2016, 7:59 amalternative voting systems, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Ramesh Ponnuru: But the rules in the Republican primaries, as we are now seeing, are not ideally designed to create consensus. Trump hasn’t won a majority in any contest so far — and he could in theory keep failing… Continue reading