If so, you folks will all be in for some very interesting times. Close national elections are rare. But when they take place, they are undeniably exciting. They can also be very unpleasant to watch. Politicians have learned that in the television arena that it is more important to smear your opponent than to explain your own position.
All sides play on fear and greed.
It is an ugly sight. In practical terms the Republican nominee will almost certainly be chosen by the end of March. At this stage both parties begin to think very seriously about the final showdown, the general election in November. Party loyalists and fund raisers begin to work overtime. The American public, however, gets a kind of political vacation, an equivalent of spring break.