The 2020 Democratic Primary

“The road to the presidency runs through the presidential primary process, and is therefore an indispensable step to the highest office in the land. This splendid collection of chapters and authors effectively decodes the enigmatic 2020 primary process where the conventional primary playbook was thrown out the window—or was it? Luke Perry and his colleagues unravel and edify, making this an essential book for understanding the 2020 elections.”

—Robert Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, The State University of New York at Cortland, USA

“The 2020 primary season was unique in many ways, including the diversity of the candidates; that it took place during a pandemic; and that Democrats believed they were trying to choose the person best able to save the party and the nation from a slide into oligarchy. The authors provide varied and useful perspectives to help us understand how the 2020 primary season generated Joe Biden’s somewhatsurprising candidacy.”

—Kristi Andersen, Professor Emeritus in Political Science, The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, USA

“This edition on the 2020 Democratic Primaries provides great clarity in each chapter about a very complex process. For those who want to understand continuities and change, particularly how the factional rivalries play out in the Democratic party, this book is essential. Not only does it explain the nomination process in 2020, it helps us peer around the corner to possibilities in 2024. A timely book for students wanting to know how we select the nation’s top leaders.”

—Ray LaRaja, Professor of Political Science, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA
This book examines the outcome, dynamics, and lessons of the 2020 Democratic Primary. The authors examine how Joe Biden separated himself from a crowded field of candidates, the role that primary rules played in this process, the influence of gender andrace on the primary campaign, new developments with the Iowa Caucuses and national party conventions, and what all this could mean for the 2024 election.
Luke Perry is Professor of Political Science at Utica College, USA, and Director of the Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research. He is the author of Mormons in American Politics; From Persecution to Power (2012), Mitt Romney, Mormonism and the 2012 Election (2014), Religious Responses to Marriage Equality (2018), and Donald Trump and the 2018 Midterm Battle for Central New York (2019).