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Race For The Presidency
Winning the 2008 Nomination
By Rhodes Cook |
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It was not long ago that Wisconsin voted in April and it was one of the earliest presidential primaries in the nation. Now, with its 2008 primary scheduled for Feb. 19, Wisconsin will vote comparatively late in the nominating process—maybe too late, if both parties wrap up their nominations in early February.
If not, Wisconsin's open primary could encourage a flood of voters into the primary of the party whose contest is still competitive. There were 3,343,558 registered voters in Wisconsin as of September 2007.
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DEMOCRATS |
REPUBLICANS |
| THE CALENDAR |
Primary Date
(polling hours) |
Feb. 19
(7 a.m.-8 p.m.) |
Feb. 19
(7 a.m.-8 p.m.) |
| Filing Deadline |
Jan. 2 |
Jan. 2 |
| Filing Procedure |
A candidate selection committee comprised mainly of state party and legislative officials meets Dec. 11, 2007, to choose nationally recognized candidates of both parties for the primary ballot. Other candidates must submit petitions signed by at least 1,000 voters from each congressional district to the state board of elections. |
| THE DELEGATES |
| Number (% of national total) |
92 (2.1%) |
40 (1.7%) |
| Distribution: |
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By district |
48 (from 5 to 8 per district) |
24 (3 per district) |
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At-Large |
16 |
13 |
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Pledged PEOs |
10 |
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RNC members |
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3 |
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Superdelegates |
18 |
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| Method of Allocation |
Proportional—15% of vote needed to win a share of statewide or district delegates. |
Winner-take-all—statewide winner takes all the at-large delegates; winner in each district takes all of that district's delegates. |
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