Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The good old days? : when parties controlled nominations and primaries were to be avoided at all costs -- 2. Sequence as strategy : how Jimmy Carter "got it" and taught subsequent presidential candidates the new rules of the road -- 3. The fight to be first : why Iowa and New Hampshire dominate presidential nominating politics -- 4. Proportional representation : why Democrats use it and Republicans don't -- 5. Devil in the details : how the delegate count shapes modern nominating campaigns -- 6. Do conventions matter anymore? : superdelegates, the Robot Rule, and the modern nominating convention -- 7. The problem of "The Decider."

"Explores one of the most important questions in American politics--how we narrow the list of presidential candidates every four years. Focuses on how presidential candidates have sought to alter the rules in their favor and how their failures and successes have led to even more change"--Provided by publisher.