That nominating process has been shrinking over the past few election cycles, but this year's schedule of primaries and other nominating contests is particularly truncated. A former senior writer for CQ, he focused on political and voting analysis from 1975 to 1997. Good afternoon, Rhodes, and welcome. Following that, other regions got into the act of voting early, to the point that this year, there will be a de facto national primary of sorts on March 7 - or at least something that could be called a national sampler, with primaries that day in New York and New England in the East, Ohio and Missouri in the Midwest, Georgia in the South, and California in the West. That change has made it extremely difficult for darkhorse candidates, since now they need the money up front, and it has made it more difficult for many states to have a voice, because they often vote now in big clusters.
Some people say it's because of TV ads, and some say that assumption is a fallacy.
Arizona is experimenting with online primary voting this year. Turnout was much higher than the previous presidential primary in both states. Still, it will be very interesting to see what proportion of the ballots cast in the Arizona Democratic contest will be cast via the Internet. As for Iowa winners who were not nominees, there was Gephardt in 1988 and Harkin in 1992. As for New Hampshire, its track record is not quite as checkered.