By: Aaron Joseph. With the primary election season heating up, we will be presenting a multi-series on the Republican Party Candidates, and the primary election season. Election defines Freedom. It invigorates the premise and promise that anybody can accomplish anything in the free world, much like our current president makes mention of in reference to himself. Election excites the imagination of possibilities. Election excites masses and refreshes its optimism. Finally election rejuvenates our 235 year old democracy with each cycle.
With much eagerness all Americans look forward to next year’s November, and the presidential election which will highlight that month. Leading up to that date there will be much consideration and deliberation, and each state will hold primary elections so as to select one from amongst those running, the very best individual that each party can promote.
According to each political party’s own rules, regulated by United States Federal Election Laws, every state holds a type of initial election, be it a caucus, which is an ‘unofficial’ primary, or as we here in New Jersey call it, a primary.
Each political party has a certain amount of delegates or representatives from every state that go to it’s party’s national nominating convention, usually held during the summer prior to a presidential election. The winner of a state’s primary is represented by a majority of that party’s state delegates at the convention. These delegates vote at the convention in favor of the candidate that had won their state’s primary or caucus. Next summer’s Republican Convention will be held during the week of August 27, 2012, in Tampa, Florida at the St. Pete Times Forum. (Democrats will hold theirs earlier in the summer in Charlotte, North Carolina.)
All without reserve anticipate a vigorous and enthusiastic National Republican Party primary season this time around, at least as much as any child looks forward to Baseball’s opening day, though unlike baseball, national primaries chance upon us, but once in four years. This year’s Republican primary season will focus on the qualifications of those attempting to be our next president, especially their ability to deal with the economy, foreign policy, and key, their perceived ability to unseat the presumed Democrat candidate, our current President.
In this year’s schedule of celebrated performers, or should I say, field of candidates, there are as of today nine active declared candidates and one who while he had declared his candidacy, has already ended his campaign. They are:
Michele Bachmann, U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District, she declared her candidacy on June 27, 2011.
Herman Cain, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, CEO and radio-host from Georgia, he declared his candidacy on May 21, 2011.
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, he declared his candidacy on May 11, 2011.
Jon Huntsman, Jr. former Governor of Utah and US Ambassador to China, he declared his candidacy on June 21, 2011.
Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, he declared his candidacy on April 21, 2011.
Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Texas’s 14th congressional district, he declared his candidacy on May 13, 2011.
Rick Perry, Governor of Texas (The longest serving current U.S. Governor, having served since George W. Bush resigned to take the oath of office as President in 2001.) he declared his candidacy on August 13, 2011.
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, he declared his candidacy on June 2, 2011.
Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, he declared his candidacy on June 6, 2011.
One candidate has formally ended his campaign.
Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota, had Declared May 23, 2011, and then on withdrew August 14, 2011, Endorsed Mitt Romney.
Early on during last spring there were a few highly visible, prominent public figures that many thought would run in this primary season, they didn’t, yet may still play a big role in deciding national political events. They are:
Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska, and former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate during the 2008 election season.
John Bolton, an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006.
Mike Huckabee, served as Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in number of states won.
Donald Trump, an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts.
In this big mix of names and all the mitigating facts and information that twirl between them and current events, someone will emerge to represent the Republican Party as candidate at it’s August convention.
While the primary election season begins soon, in just over a month with the famous Iowa Caucus and it’s 28 delegates on January 3, 2012, followed closely on its heels by the New Hampshire primary and it’s 12 delegates on January 10th.
We in New Jersey have quite a wait, as New Jersey and her 50 Republican state delegates are the third to last state to cast its primary vote on June 5th, 2012. We are in big company though, as California, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota cast their primary votes on the same date.
While being from the last to vote in a primary season has its drawbacks as it does not contribute very much to the primary momentum and the state receives less national media time, these five June 5th, states comprise 300 delegates all together, California having 172 delegates, and together all these delegates make a big final impact, especially in a tight race. The last state to hold primaries is Utah and her 40 delegates, on June 26th 2012.
Stay tuned as we cover the people involved, and all the exciting give and take that this primary season is sure to bring..
Leave out the democracy part, until the 1920s Americans referred to the country as a republic. (The 29th president W.W. was the first pres. to use the term)
I did not know that so many Republicans are still in the race. It figures that you just hear about most dynamic ines like perry and romney and gingrich.
I guess by the time we get to vote we’ll know all about them all.
Informative article.
Will our country last that long????
I hope so.
The current Occupier of the White House has utterly destroyed the fabric of our society, and caused class warfare to such a degree that it will get very dangerous soon in America.
The “peasants with the pitchforks” mentality of Occupy Wall St fame is gathering steam, with the tacit encouragement of Obama and the Democrat Party. Windows were blown out last night in Highland Park, NJ, a stark reminder that Kristallnacht in America is not far off. And Hitler is back, in the form of Ahmadinejad, and it aint gonna be pretty.
Will the Euro collapse this week, or will it happen in 6 months? Will we be able to avoid the riots for another 6 months? And when it does collapse, the US dollar won’t be that far behind. Our debt is unsustainable. Too much government spending estroyed Europe, and will destroy America as well. Look for social unrest in America in the coming years.
So when you decide between Gingrich, Perry, Cain, Palin, Santorum, Bachmann, Romney……… don’t let the media help you decide the candidate based on who is more media-savvy.
Vote for the one who will save our country. 2012 is the last chance for America.
there is know doubt in my mind that enough Americans have had it with the democrats and the dreadful path they have taken us down since Obama has been Pres.
All those who voted for “Hope & Change” hopefully are inelligent enough to know that this kind of change brings absolutely no hope ,we need a new direction and the only “hope”is to vote Republican
The Nation will begin to recover as soon as the current president leaves office. There is still a chance to save the Nation, and ourselves.
Why can’t he write his articles shorter? he writes well, but , please keep it concise.
sounds like you people want more of the disaster of 2000-2008. The current administration has saved us from a major depression. They saved the American Auto Industry and our financial institutions. Obama killed Osama Bin Laden and has eliminated many Al Queda leaders. We are getting out of Iraq & Afghan. They have deported more illegal aliens than other administration. They have also prevented any terrorist attacks on our land. The stock market has risen from 6.200 when Obama was sworn in to over 12,000 today. We finally have health care for all citizens as is provided in most industrialized nations. The Re;publicans offer to kill Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid, and other programs that help our citizens. They are making unemployment worse with their programs and obstructionism of programs to aid the economy. America will be far worse if they re-take the White House. Look what they’ve done to us since taking Congress. Reduced our credit rating, etc.