Caucuses

CAUCUSES ARE GATHERINGS of local Democratic and Republican party identifiers that serve as the chief alternative to presidential primaries. They occur at the local precinct, congressional district, county, and state levels, and are typically held in public places. Approximately one-third of the nation's states use caucuses to select delegates to the national party presidential nominating conventions. Like primaries, caucuses shape the presidential nomination process. Unlike primaries, however, they represent only the first step in a series of events leading up to the selection of a state's national convention delegation.

The earliest form of caucuses in American politics emerged when groups of congressional members gathered to decide their party's presidential nominees. Known as King Caucus, this elitist process was contrary to the populist ideals expressed in the Constitution and was replaced by the current, more plebiscite system of primaries and modern caucuses. The caucus system preceded the primary system. Although caucuses emerged during the 17th century, the first primary caucus was held in 1901 in the state of Florida.

The modern caucus system is intricate. Although each state's caucus system may differ in terms of who can participate, caucus procedures must satisfy the rules established by each party's national branch. Compared to primaries, caucuses represent a unique form of political participation that requires a substantial amount of time and effort from participants. One of the main features of caucuses is the physical activity in which they occur. As William Mayer observes, caucuses are an “exercise in physical democracy.” Caucuses typically begin with brief remarks by candidates and campaign representatives. Then, participants move into groups (sometimes called sub-caucuses) according to their candidate preferences or issue concerns. Groups assemble with the intention of sending delegates who will support particular candidates and issues at the next level of caucuses or at the party's national convention.

Prior to group formation, party leaders count the total number of people attending the caucus and calculate the number of participants needed for a group to earn one delegate. This viability number (sometimes termed the Magic Number) is based on the proportion of the total caucus attendees who join each group. Groups that do not attract enough attendees to earn a single delegate may decide to disband and join other groups, or they may combine with other groups that failed to reach the viability number.

Once the group selection process is finished, caucus facilitators inform each group of the number of delegates that they will be allotted. At this point, members of each [Page 115]group select delegates to represent them at the national convention or at the next level of caucusing. This process typically involves delegates delivering off-the-cuff remarks, declaring which candidates they support and explaining why they want to represent the group. Such public declarations of intent shape group decisions, but delegates are not legally bound to these preferences.

This time-consuming, highly-involved process makes caucuses a unique aspect of American politics. Since the 1970s, caucuses have evolved from events that were taken lightly by some presidential candidates to extremely important, closely-monitored contests in the presidential nomination process. The Iowa caucuses, which are typically among the first held, exemplify the importance of caucuses in the nomination process. Prior to the 1970s, many candidates opted not to participate in the Iowa caucuses. Since then, participation—and strong performance—in Iowa has become virtually compulsory. The prestige of this event was firmly established during the Democratic Party's nomination process of 1976. That year, limmy Carter's campaign focused its limited resources on the Iowa caucuses and successfully secured the party's presidential nomination. Carter's success was largely impacted by the positive media attention that was generated by his impressive performance in Iowa. Many political scientists note that although a first place finish in the caucus may not guarantee that a candidate will become his or her party's nominee, a poor showing in the Iowa caucus can be devastating.

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