Shamira Gelbman Offers Insight into Early Presidential Campaign

While Labor Day weekend traditionally kicks off the upcoming year’s presidential campaigns, the 2008 election season has already been in full swing for months. With nearly thirty states’ caucuses and primaries now scheduled to be held on or before February 5, moreover, the major parties’ nominations look to be sewn up well in advance of the summer nominating conventions, let alone the general election in November.

This unprecedented frontloading and its aggrandizing effects on aspiring candidates’ campaign tour and fundraising practices mark quite the contrast to 1952, the last election season that, like this one, did not feature a presidential incumbent or vice-presidential heir apparent among the contenders. That year, Bloomington-Normal’s own Adlai E. Stevenson was drafted as the Democratic presidential candidate at the party convention itself and only after a groundswell of popular support for his nomination overcame his reluctance to run. In contrast, the nomination proceedings at today’s conventions serve primarily to rubberstamp the outcomes of primary contests held nearly six month earlier. The upcoming weeks and months will be critical, therefore, as it is during this time that citizens will have the greatest opportunity to weigh in on who will become president in 2009.

To interview Gelbman, contact her at (309) 438-8483 or at sgelbma@ilstu.edu