Blog 3.4

1. What's the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the primary calendar?

Phase 1 consists of four early states. However, Phase 2 is the briefest but the most important as almost half of the delegates are decided between March 1-17. 

2. Which four states get to vote first, separated roughly into one each week?

Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina get to vote first.

3. There are few delegates available in these four states, why are the primaries so important?

As the article suggests, these state primaries “can have enormous impact on perceptions of the overall race”. They can help define a front runner or hurt a campaign’s momentum,

4. How many delegates are available in Phase 2?

According to my math, 2,286  delegates are available in Phase 2.

5. Which regions are holding most of their primaries on Super Tuesday?

The South, Midwest, West, New England, and the American Samoa all hold most of their primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday.

6. How many primaries are held the following week on March 10? And how many on March 17?

Around seven primaries are held during the week of March 10. During the week of March 17, four primaries occur.

7. What is different about the California primary this year?

Opposed to being a early June primary, California is now a Super Tuesday primary.

8. Why is Phase 3 less important than 1 and 2?

By Phase 3, a majority of delegates have been allotted. Additionally, Phase 3 is extremely slow.

9. What is one argument in favor of letting Iowa and New Hampshire (small states) go first?

The article suggests that small states are , “ smaller, more manageable setting[s] (rather than getting swamped”. 

10. How does the Democratic Party way of distributing delegates make this system even slower?

Since the Democratic Party allots delegates proportionally, it takes a longer time for the winner to gain a “magic number” of delegates until the end of the contests. It makes it difficult for the other candidates to catch up , as well.