How does the transition from the primary election to the general election affect the behavior of presidential candidates? Provideexamples to illustrate and support your claims

What will be an ideal response?


The ideal answer should:
a. Distinguish between primary elections and the general election with respect to their purpose, with primary elections being about selecting a party nominee and the general election about a national vote for the presidency.
b. Discuss how candidates in the primaries have to compete for the votes of their party loyalists who tend to be more ideologically extreme, which pushes candidates away from the center of politics, usingappropriate examples such as Mitt Romney's rhetoric on immigration and his attacks against Rick Perry on that issue.
c. Explain how the voting population in the general election is more moderate, and thus the transition to the general election requires candidates to engage in a transformation on a range of subjects, including, tone, image, and even policies. Appropriate examples could include Mitt Romney's changing positions on tax cuts, healthcare, and immigration in addition to Barack Obama's toughening stance on Iraq in the general election.

Political Science

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Indicate whether this statement is true or false.

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