Path to the Presidency: Election Center 2008

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Elections 101: Path to the Presidency

Intro

Primaries and Caucuses

Party Conventions

Election Day and Beyond

Introduction
The road to the White House, as the Beatles might have said, is long and winding -- and the 2008 contest is no exception. Campaigning started earlier than ever, with candidates running at a breakneck pace a year before any votes were cast. The road includes major stops in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, a semi-national primary on February 5, national party conventions in Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, a national		Election Day in November and a meeting of the Electoral College in December -- with dozens of filing deadlines and thousands of fundraisers, chicken dinners and campaign stops along the way. And it all leads to Inauguration Day in January 2009, when the new president and vice president take office on the steps of the Capitol in Washington.

January 3 - February 4

Super Tuesday

February (other dates)

March

April

May - July

January 3 - February 4

The early primary season did little to determine a solid front-runner for either party's nomination. Each of three Republican front-runners won somewhere in the early races, while Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traded states, each seemingly capable of winning the party's nod.

January 3:	Iowa caucuses
January 5:	Wyoming caucuses
January 8:	New Hampshire primaries
January 15:	Michigan primaries
January 19:	Nevada caucuses
	South Carolina primary
January 26:	South Carolina primary
January 29:	Florida primaries
February 2:	Maine caucuses
States to Watch:	IA \| NH \| NV \| SC \| FL

More Information

Delegates explained
Understand how the nominees are chosen and what role you play in the process

What is a caucus?
CNN explains the complex, confusing caucusing process

Meet the candidates
See who's running and who's winning, who's still in and who's out

Jargonbuster
CNN.com defines all those terms you've been hearing on the campaign trail but were afraid to ask about

The Money

Follow the money
See how much candidates have raised and spent, as well as how much cash they have on hand
The Money | Map

The Issues

Abortion • Economic Stimulus
Energy • Housing • Iran • Iraq
Same-sex marriage • Taxes

All Campaign Issues

From the Blogs: Controversy, commentary, and debate

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Campaign News and Analysis

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From the Blogs: Controversy, commentary, and debate

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