From the End of the Nomination Contest to the Start of the National Conventions: Preliminary Thoughts on a New Period in Presidential Campaign Politics

As the presidential nomination process has become more front-loaded and the New Hampshire primary has been scheduled earlier in the calendar year, a new period in presidential campaign politics has emerged, running from about mid-March until late July, in which both parties' nomination races have been effectively settled, even though neither national convention has yet taken place. This article presents an initial exploration of this period, focused on how and why it emerged, what is distinctive about it, and whether it has any apparent impact on the final outcome.