The Endorsement Primary - FiveThirtyEight
efore any votes are cast, presidential candidates compete for the support of influential members of their party, especially elected officials like U. S. representatives, senators and governors. During the period known as the “invisible primary,” these “party elites” seek to coalesce around the candidates they find most acceptable as their party’s nominee. In the book “ The Party Decides ” (2008), the most comprehensive study of the invisible primary, the political scientists Marty Cohen, David Karol, Hans Noel and John Zaller evaluated data on endorsements made in presidential nomination contests... In other cases, endorsements serve as a signal to other party elites. In some — like the Republican contest of , more Democrats initially endorsed Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama (although Obama had some support). Still, a steady flow of endorsements for Obama after his early successes in states like Iowa and South Carolina helped to signal that he was an acceptable choice among party elites and presaged his success in. Source: projects.fivethirtyeight.com
