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May 30, 2012 Mitt Romney Mitt Romney , the former Massachusetts governor who failed to gain theRepublican nomination his on his first try in 2008, clinched the2012 GOP nod following a Tuesday victory in the Texas primary.According to Real Clear Politics , Romney now has 1,169 delegates to the August convention in Tampa,with 1,144 needed to win the nomination. Six states have yet tovote. Voters in five states, including California, will go to thepolls on Tuesday. Utah closes out the primary season with awinner-take-all contest June 26. Despite lots of talk about a "brokered" GOP conventionwhen chief rival Rick Santorum Rick Santorum was winning primaries, too, Romney is on a path to win theRepublican nomination on the first ballot. But how doesRomney"s clinch date fare when compared to other Democraticand Republican nominees over the past quarter century? The primary and caucus schedules have changed drastically over thelast quarter century. The 1988 Iowa Caucuses were held on Feb. 8, for example, whereas the 2012 Iowa Caucuseswere held on Jan. 3. The process seems to change to varying degreesbetween General Election years. See the Walter Mears article linkedto below for background. In the overall picture of when major party nominees clinch, Romneyfalls somewhere in the middle. He is the first major partynon-incumbent nominee to clinch in May, with other candidatesclinching in March, April and June. The most recent directcomparison for Romney would be in 1996, when Kansas Sen. Bob Dole Bob Dole ran against an incumbent Democratic president and sealed the GOPnomination in early March of 1996. Romney obviously did not takecare of business as early as Dole did, but, then again, Dole lostto President Clinton. But Romney did clinch earlier in the nominating process than theman he is challenging, Barack Obama. Then the junior senator fromIllinois in 2008, Obama spent the entire primary season locked in afierce battle for the Democratic nomination with Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton , then the junior Senator from New York. Candidate Obama did notclinch the Democratic nomination until the last day of primariesthat year in early June, winning in Montana to put him over thetop. This year, Obama clinched the Democratic nomination in early April. Another early clincher was Democrat John Kerry John Kerry in 2004, wrapping up the nomination by early March. His earlysuccess, however, did not translate into a win against theincumbent. A timeline breakdown of major party nominees" clinching dates(unopposed incumbents not included): 2012 Mitt Romney, Republican, May 29 (Will face President Obama, the Democratic incumbent, andLibertarian nominee Gary Johnson Gary Johnson in the General Election Nov. 6. 2012) 2008 Barack Obama, Democrat, June 3 (won General Election) John McCain, Republican, April 4 2004 John Kerry, Democrat, March 3 (lost to incumbent Republican G.W. Bush) 2000 Al Gore, incumbent Democratic VP, March 14 George W. Bush, Republican, March 14 (won General Election) 1996 Bob Dole, Republican, March 19 (lost to incumbent President Bill Clinton) 1992 Bill Clinton, Democrat, June 2 (won General Election) George H.W. Bush, Republican, April 28 (Bush was challenged by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan Pat Buchanan that year) 1988 Michael Dukakis, Democrat, June 8 George H.W. Bush, incumbent Republican VP, April 27 (won General Election) If you like writing about U.S. politics and the 2012 campaign,enter "The American Pundit" competition. Allvoices is awarding four $250 prizes each monthbetween now and November. These monthly winners earn eligibilityfor the $5,000 grand prize, to be awarded after the Novemberelection. SOURCES & RESOURCES Obama clinches nomination; Clinton plots next step, NPR, June 4, 2008 Kerry clinches nomination, Christian Science Monitor, March 4, 2004 Trying to slow the states" rush to the front, Middlesboro (Kentucky) Daily News, March 16, 2000 (AP analysis byWalter Mears) As Bush clinches nomination, he immediately digs into Gore , Associated Press, March 15, 2000 Dole wins anew; Clinton clinches nomination, March 13, 1996, The Manila (Philippines) Standard Bob Dole clinches nomination , March 20, 1996, Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News Bush clinches nomination, Clinton close, New Straits Times (Malaysia), April 29, 1992 Ohio voters give Clinton Democratic nomination, The Victoria (Texas) Advocate, June 3, 1992 Dukakis clinches nomination , June 8, 1988, Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star Dukakis tightens his grip, Bush clinches nomination, The Modesto (Calif.) Bee, April 27, 1988 Additional sources and resources linked to in text. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Interactive Teaching System , Portable Interactive Whiteboard Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Electronic Interactive Whiteboard today!
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