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The wait is over: It’s time to start picking a president

Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama have provided surprises in this year’s presidential race by pulling even with early favorites in polls in key states.

The 2008 race for president has been going on for more than a year, and at last there will be some voting.

This week, both Democrats and Republicans will be closely watching the results of the Iowa caucuses, and next Tuesday the first primary election will be held in the state of New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire and Iowa results will give the first signs of which candidates may represent the major parties in the presidential election this fall.

This year’s presidential race is the most wide open in years because President Bush cannot run for a third term, and Vice President Dick Cheney is not interested in becoming president himself.

It is the first time since 1952 that no candidate is either a sitting president seeking a second term or a vice president looking to move up. As a result, 16 candidates — eight Democrats and eight Republicans — are battling for the chance to succeed Bush in the White House.

Candidates for both parties could make history if selected as the presidential nominee.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton would be the first woman nominated for president by a major party, U.S. Senator Barack Obama would be the first African American nominee and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson would be the first Hispanic American nominated.

For the Republicans, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney would be the first Mormon nominated for president by a major party, U.S. Senator John McCain the first former prisoner of war and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee the first ordained minister.

A little history

Every state in the nation now has either a presidential primary election or presidential caucuses.

Caucuses, which are meetings of party members, were first used to select candidates as early as the 1800s.

Primary elections were established in the early 1900s after political reformers argued that party leaders had too much control over who could participate in caucuses. In a primary, any party member can vote to select that party’s candidates.

Iowa and New Hampshire have always been the first two major events, but this year many other states moved their primaries and caucuses to earlier dates to give their voters more of a voice in choosing the nominees.

Surprise, surprise

Public opinion polls show that there is no favorite candidate yet in either major party.

But there have been surprises.

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee has startled party leaders by drawing even with early front-runners Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani due to support from conservative and evangelical Christian voters.

Among the Democrats, Barack Obama has rallied to close in on early favorite Hillary Clinton, with former North Carolina U.S. Senator John Edwards running third.

The winners in Iowa and New Hampshire may not earn the nominations in the end, but victories there will give them momentum and attention as they head into the other 31 state contests scheduled between now and “Super Tuesday” February 5.



  • Choosing a president is one of the most important things American voters do. But what makes a good president? Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and John McCain say their national experience in the U.S. Senate has prepared them to lead the nation in the world. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson say their experience as governors has made them ready to be chief executive of the country. If you were voting, on what qualities would you base your decision? Discuss as a class and consider this year’s candidates.

  • During the primary and caucus season, candidates make strong statements to separate themselves from their rivals. Look through the newspaper for statements by candidates that make news in the last days before primary and caucus voting. Pick two and write a paragraph for each explaining why you think the candidate said what he/she said, and what the effect will be.

  • Editorial cartoons use humor and art to make points about candidates for office and other issues. Look for a cartoon on the editorial page of today’s newspaper. Then draw one to show your opinion of a candidate for president.

  • Look at the front page of today’s newspaper. If you could ask presidential candidates their opinions, which front-page story would you want to ask them about first? List the rest of the articles in the order you would ask the candidates about them.






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