The Nominating Process

How U.S. Political Parties Choose Presidential Candidates

This section describes, analyzes, and explains the process in which political parties in the U.S. nominate candidates (by means of primaries, caucuses, and national conventions)to run for president. While candidates may run for President as independents (i.e., without the endorsement of any political party), nearly every President in U.S. history was the nominee of a major party. Every presidential election year, the primary/caucus season generally runs from February-June, the conventions are held in July and August (both the Democratic and Republican conventions will be held in August this year), and the general election is in early November.