Abstract
Bitecofer shows how the institutional structures of the two party’s nominating systems affected the outcome of the 2016 presidential primaries. Despite a full-frontal assault, Republican Party elites had limited influence on the party’s nomination process. Even with the vast majority of Republican Party insiders lined up against him, they were unable to derail the Trump Train because of their limited influence in the nomination process. In the Republican nominating system, elite endorsements are merely symbolic, and they do not carry substantive weight. Unlike the Democrat’s system which provides party insiders a tool to exert direct influence in the party’s nomination process via super delegates, the Republican rules left the party vulnerable to a hostile takeover.
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Bitecofer, R. (2018). The Party Decides?. In: The Unprecedented 2016 Presidential Election . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61976-7_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61976-7_5
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
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