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152-534: The party's presidential nominee is chosen primarily by pledged delegates, which are in turn selected through a series of individual state caucuses and primary elections . Pledged delegates are classified into three categories: Unpledged superdelegates , delegates whose votes are not bound to the outcome of a state's caucus or primary, only vote in the event of a contested nomination . These superdelegates may also be called unpledged PLEO ( p arty l eaders and e lected o fficials) delegates. The size of delegations to

304-591: A Deed of Cession of Tutuila in 1900 and a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa in 1904 on behalf of the U.S. government. The last sovereign of Manuʻa, the Tui Manuʻa Elisala , signed a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa following a series of U.S. naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu", in Pago Pago, Taʻu, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat. The territory became known as the U.S. Naval Station Tutuila . On July 17, 1911,

456-687: A U.S. Department of Interior –sponsored attempt to incorporate American Samoa, was introduced in Congress. It was ultimately defeated, primarily through the efforts of Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. The efforts of these chiefs led to the creation of a territorial legislature, the American Samoa Fono , which meets in the village of Fagatogo . In 1950 the Department of the Interior began to administer American Samoa. By 1956,

608-409: A binding primary or caucus, in which the results of the election depending on state law or party rules legally bind some or all of the delegates to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention, for a certain number of ballots or until the candidate releases the delegates. Some binding primaries are winner-take-all contests, in which all of a state's delegates are required to vote for

760-607: A Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission . Thus, presidential candidates officially announce their intentions to run that early so they can start raising or spending the money needed to mount their nationwide campaigns. During the first six months of the year, primaries and caucuses are separately held in each of the 50 states; the District of Columbia , and each of the five permanently inhabited US territories of American Samoa , Guam ,

912-462: A brief but lavish greeting. On January 30, 1974, Pan Am Flight 806 from Auckland , New Zealand, crashed at Pago Pago International Airport at 10:41   pm, with 91 passengers aboard. 86 people were killed, including Captain Leroy A. Petersen and the entire flight crew. Four of the five surviving passengers were seriously injured, with the other only slightly injured. The airliner was destroyed by

1064-522: A commission headed by Senator McGovern reformed the Democratic Party's nominating process to increase the power of primaries in choosing delegates in order to increase the democracy of the process. Not entirely coincidentally, McGovern himself won the nomination in 1972. The 1972 convention was significant in that the new rules put into place as a result of the McGovern commission also opened

1216-440: A compromise candidate on the 103rd ballot. Also, in 1912 , Champ Clark received a majority of the votes, but did not subsequently go on to achieve a two-thirds vote and the nomination ( Woodrow Wilson won the nomination on the 46th ballot), the only time this happened. Since 1932, only one convention (in 1952 ) has required multiple ballots. While the rule was in force, it virtually assured that no candidate without support from

1368-655: A decisive win in the South Carolina primary helped former Vice President Joe Biden win the Democratic presidential primary by eliminating several rivals and triggering strong wins across the country on Super Tuesday. Biden had previously struggled in Iowa and New Hampshire. The Tuesday in February or March when the greatest number of states hold primary elections and caucuses is known as " Super Tuesday ". Because it

1520-416: A different delegation to give the leading candidate the honor of casting the majority-making vote. If no single candidate has secured a majority of delegates (including both pledged and unpledged) during the first vote, then a " brokered convention " results. All pledged delegates are then "released" and are able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate. Thereafter, the nomination is decided through

1672-422: A dozen ballots. The most infamous examples of this were in 1860 at Charleston , when the convention deadlocked after 57 ballots: the delegates adjourned, and reconvened in separate Northern and Southern groups six weeks later, and in 1924 , where "Wets" and "Drys" deadlocked between the frontrunners, Alfred E. Smith and William G. McAdoo , for 102 ballots over 16 days before finally agreeing on John W. Davis as

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1824-1369: A fixed amount of pledged delegates. In 2020, American Samoa , Guam , Northern Mariana Islands , and the U.S. Virgin Islands each get six at-large delegates. Democrats Abroad gets 12 at-large and one pledged PLEO. Puerto Rico is assigned 44 base votes in 2020, then the same formulas used in Step 3 above for U.S. states are used to calculate the territory's at-large, district, and PLEO pledged delegates: At-large delegates PR2020 = 44 × 0.25 = 11 {\displaystyle {\text{At-large delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44\times 0.25=11} District delegates PR2020 = 44 − At-large delegates PR2020 = 44 − 11 = 33 {\displaystyle {\text{District delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44-{\text{At-large delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44-11=33} Pledged PLEO delegates PR2020 = 44 × 0.15 = 6.6 → 7 {\displaystyle {\text{Pledged PLEO delegates}}_{\text{PR2020}}=44\times 0.15=6.6\to 7} The Democratic Party awards bonus pledged delegates to each jurisdiction based on two factors: timing and clustering. The timing criterion

1976-498: A group of unpledged delegates. Republicans have three At-Large delegates selected at the state convention from all the states and territories, 168 in number. These are each states' two national committeepersons and the state chairperson. In Democratic primaries through 2016, about 85% of delegates to the Democratic National Convention are "pledged delegates" who are apportioned to candidates according to

2128-404: A handful of states hold caucuses. Instead of going to a polling place, voters attend local private events run by the political parties, and cast their selections there. One disadvantage of caucuses is that the state party runs the process directly instead of having the state and local governments run them. Another is that most election laws do not normally apply to caucuses. Nearly all states have

2280-469: A hundred canoes, with more than 500 people in them: but I was afraid of striking the wrong victims; the call of my conscience saved their lives." On December 19, 1912, English writer William Somerset Maugham arrived in Pago Pago, allegedly accompanied by a missionary and Miss Sadie Thompson. His visit inspired his short story " Rain " which later became plays and three major motion pictures. The building still stands where Maugham stayed and has been renamed

2432-532: A listing which is disputed by the territorial government officials, who do consider themselves to be self-governing. American Samoa and Pago Pago International Airport had historic significance with the Apollo Program . The astronaut crews of Apollo 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , and 17 were retrieved a few hundred miles from Pago Pago and transported by helicopter to the airport prior to being flown to Honolulu on C-141 Starlifter military aircraft. While

2584-405: A local, county or state party convention, which then, in turn, selects pledged delegates to the national convention. A handful of states may also practice non-binding "beauty contests", which are public opinion surveys for use by caucus delegates to select candidates to a state convention, which then in turn selects delegates to the national convention. In many states, only voters registered with

2736-554: A much more personal scale. However, the overall results of the primary season may not be representative of the U.S. electorate as a whole: voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and other less populous states which traditionally hold their primaries and caucuses in late-January/February usually have a major impact on the races, while voters in California and other large states which traditionally hold their primaries in June generally end up having

2888-522: A name for their new territory. The traditional leaders chose "American Samoa", and, on July 7, 1911, the solicitor general of the Navy authorized the governor to proclaim it as the name for the new territory. In 1918, during the final stages of World War I , the Great Influenza epidemic had taken its toll, spreading rapidly from country to country. American Samoa became one of the few places in

3040-402: A party may vote in that party's primary, known as a closed primary . In some states, a semi-closed primary is practiced, in which voters unaffiliated with a party ( independents ) may choose a party primary in which to vote. In an open primary , any voter may vote in any party's primary. A semi-open primary occurs when a voter must choose a party-specific ballot to cast, instead of being provided

3192-493: A piece of shrapnel , and "a member of the colorful native Fita Fita Guard" received minor injuries; they were the only casualties. This was the only time the Japanese attacked Tutuila during World War II , although "Japanese submarines had patrolled the waters around Samoa before the war, and continued to be active there throughout the war." On August 24, 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited American Samoa and inspected

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3344-613: A pivotal role in five of the Apollo Program missions . The astronauts landed several hundred miles from Pago and were transported to the islands en route back to the mainland. President Richard Nixon gave three Moon rocks to the American Samoan government, which are currently on display in the Jean P. Haydon Museum along with a flag carried to the Moon on one of the missions. In November 1970, Pope Paul VI visited American Samoa in

3496-524: A presidential candidate during the first ballot of the virtual roll call. From 1832 to 1936, any nomination for president or vice-president was required to have a majority of two-thirds of the total number of delegates. Unless there was a popular incumbent, something that only happened three times between the Civil War and World War II, getting that many votes on the first ballot were virtually impossible. This resulted in often contentious debate that riled

3648-481: A presidential primary as an easier way to come into compliance with the new national Democratic Party rules. The result was that many more future delegates would be selected by a state presidential primary. The Republicans also adopted many more state presidential primaries. By 1992, Democrats had primaries in 40 states and Republicans in 39. Both major political parties of the U.S.—the Democratic Party and

3800-598: A process of alternating political horse trading , and additional rounds of re-votes. A customary ceremonial practice has been for the losing candidate(s) in the primary season to "release" their delegates at the convention and exhort them to vote for the winning nominee as a sign of party unity. Thus, the vote tallied on the convention floor is unanimous or nearly so. For example, during the 2008 Democratic National Convention , Hillary Clinton (who only captured about 22% of delegates compared to Barack Obama 's approximate 72%) moved to nominate Obama by acclamation, making it

3952-413: A push by independent Senator Bernie Sanders , who ran as a Democrat, the party voted in favor of superdelegate reform, such that in future presidential elections most superdelegates will be bound to their state primary results. Franchise in a primary or caucus is governed by rules established by the state party, although the states may impose other regulations. While most states hold primary elections,

4104-654: A result, even a little-known, underfunded candidate can use retail politics to meet intimately with interested voters and perform better than expected. The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary have produced a number of headline-making upsets in history: In 2008 Nevada was given the official "First in the West" status reflecting the growing importance of the West as well as Nevada's electoral bellwether status. America's increasing ethnic diversity, urbanization, and geographic redistribution made influential political leaders come to

4256-446: A significantly reduced say because the races are usually over by then. As a result, more states vie for earlier primaries, known as "front-loading", to claim a greater influence in the process. The national parties have used penalties and awarded bonus delegates in efforts to stagger the system over broadly a 90-day window. Where state legislatures set the primary or caucus date, sometimes the out-party in that state has endured penalties in

4408-538: A single ballot where the voter must choose on the ballot itself which party's primary to vote in. In all of these systems, a voter may participate in only one primary; that is, a voter who casts a vote for a candidate standing for the Republican nomination for president cannot cast a vote for a candidate standing for the Democratic nomination, or vice versa. A few states once staged a blanket primary , in which voters could vote for one candidate in multiple primaries, but

4560-456: A stopover in Pago Pago in April 2017. He addressed 200 soldiers here during his refueling stop. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited town on June 3, 2017. On September 28, 2009, at 17:48:11 UTC, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck 120 miles (190 km) off the coast of American Samoa, followed by smaller aftershocks. It was the largest earthquake of 2009. The quake occurred on

4712-515: A teenager from rough seas. On November 8, 2010, United States Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton made a refueling stopover at the Pago Pago International Airport . She was greeted by government dignitaries and presented with gifts and a traditional kava ceremony. Mike Pence was the third sitting U.S. vice president to visit American Samoa (after Dan Quayle and Joe Biden ) when he made

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4864-583: A unanimous vote. Campaigning for president often begins almost a year before the New Hampshire primary , almost two years before the presidential election . This is largely because federal campaign finance laws including the Federal Election Campaign Act state that a candidate who intends to receive contributions aggregating in excess of $ 5,000 or make expenditures aggregating in excess of $ 5,000, among others, must first file

5016-446: A vote. For Republicans, they consist of the three top party officials who serve At Large from each state and territory. Democrats have a more expansive group of unpledged delegates called " superdelegates ", who are party leaders and elected officials. If no single candidate has secured an absolute majority of delegates (including both pledged and unpledged), then a " brokered convention " occurs: all pledged delegates are "released" after

5168-609: A widespread Polynesian network or confederacy (or "empire") that was prehistorically ruled by the successive Tui Manuʻa dynasties. Manuan genealogies and religious oral literature also suggest that the Tui Manuʻa had long been one of the most prestigious and powerful paramounts of Samoa. Oral history suggests that the Tui Manuʻa kings governed a confederacy of far-flung islands which included Tutuila, as well as smaller western Pacific chiefdoms and Polynesian outliers such as Uvea , Futuna , Tokelau , Tuvalu and bigger islands like

5320-532: Is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These superdelegates include elected officials, and party activists and officials. They make up slightly under 15 percent of all convention delegates. Superdelegates fall into four categories: Democratic superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination. On August 25, 2018,

5472-470: Is based on when the state holds its primaries or caucuses with those states scheduling their contests in May and June getting the higher bonus. For clustering, three or more neighboring states must concurrently begin on the same date. The bonus awarded is then a percentage increase in the jurisdiction's delegation (rounded to the nearest integer). A fourth of the bonus delegates are then designated as District, and

5624-495: Is erected on Mt. Mauga O Aliʻi to honor their memory. On November 1, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill which created American Samoa National Park . On July 22, 2010, Detective Lieutenant Lusila Brown was fatally shot outside the temporary High Court building in Fagatogo. It was the first time in more than 15 years that a police officer was killed in the line of duty. The last was Sa Fuimaono, who drowned after saving

5776-403: Is held in various states from geographically and socially diverse regions of the country, it typically represents a presidential candidate's first test of national electability. More delegates can be won on Super Tuesday than on any other single day of the primary calendar, thus convincing wins during this day have usually propelled candidates to their party's nomination. With the broadened use of

5928-567: Is listed among seventeen " non-self-governing territories " but is a member of several intergovernmental organizations, including the Pacific Community , Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and International Olympic Committee (IOC). Due to its strategic location, the U.S. military has a significant presence in American Samoa and plays a major role in its economy and society. The territory

6080-620: Is noted for having the highest rate of military enlistment of any U.S. state or territory; as of 2021, the local U.S. Army recruiting station in Pago Pago ranked first in recruitment. Tuna products are the main exports, with the U.S. proper serving as the largest trading partner. Tourism is a nascent but underdeveloped sector, owing in part to the territory's relative geographic isolation, which also accounts for its high rate of poverty and emigration. Residents of American Samoa are politically disenfranchised , with no voting representation in

6232-418: Is required to reschedule the primary accordingly. In recent elections, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary have garnered over half the media attention paid to the entire selection process. After Iowa and New Hampshire, the front runners then attempt to solidify their status, while the others fight to become #2. Because these states are small, campaigning takes place on a much more personal scale. As

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6384-638: Is rumored to walk about the grounds at night. On August 17, 1924, Margaret Mead arrived in American Samoa aboard the SS Sonoma to begin fieldwork for her doctoral dissertation in anthropology at Columbia University, where she was a student of Professor Franz Boas . Her work Coming of Age in Samoa was published in 1928, at the time becoming the most widely read book in the field of anthropology . The book has sparked years of ongoing and intense debate and controversy. Mead returned to American Samoa in 1971 for

6536-642: Is the head of government and along with the Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa is elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term. The governor's office is located in Utulei . Since American Samoa is a U.S. territory, the President of the United States serves as the head of state but does not play a direct role in government. The Secretary of the Interior oversees

6688-552: Is the only method in which voters in Puerto Rico , Guam , and other U.S. territories can have a say in the presidential race. Under the U.S. Constitution, U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College , and thus voters residing in those areas are basically ineligible to vote in the general election. On the other hand, as stated above, the primaries and caucuses are non-governmental party affairs. Both

6840-514: The 1896 convention , while the most historically notable and tumultuous convention in recent memory was the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois , which was fraught with highly emotional battles between conventioneers and Vietnam War protesters and an outburst by Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley . Other confrontations between various groups, such as the Yippies and members of

6992-500: The 2008 Republican presidential nomination in March, while during that same month Barack Obama held a substantial lead in pledged delegates in the Democratic Party primaries . In 2012, Obama faced no major challenger in the Democratic Party primaries since he had the advantage of incumbency ( see below ) , while Mitt Romney gained enough delegates to be declared the presumptive Republican nominee by late April. In 2012, both

7144-664: The H.M.S. Bounty mutineers . Von Kotzebue visited in 1824. Mission work in the Samoas had begun in late 1830 when John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived from the Cook Islands and Tahiti . By the late nineteenth century, French, British, German, and American vessels routinely stopped at Samoa, as they valued Pago Pago Harbor as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping and whaling. The United States Exploring Expedition visited

7296-576: The Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the US Virgin Islands are instead assigned a fixed number of pledged delegates. States and territories who schedule their primary or caucus later in the primary season may also get additional bonus delegates. The Republican Party's rules since 2008 leave more discretion to the states in choosing a method of allocating pledged delegates. As a result, states variously applied

7448-516: The Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the US Virgin Islands . Each party sets its own calendar and rules, and in some cases actually administers the election. However, to reduce expenses and encourage turnout, the major parties' primaries are usually held the same day and may be consolidated with other state elections. The primary election itself is administered by local governments according to state law. In some cases, state law determines how delegates will be awarded and who may participate in

7600-681: The President of the United States . In 1951, with Executive Order 10264 , President Harry Truman delegated that authority to the Secretary of the Interior . On June 21, 1963 Paramount Chief Tuli Leʻiato of Fagaʻitua was sworn in and installed as the first Secretary of Samoan Affairs by Governor H. Rex Lee . On June 2, 1967, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall promulgated the Revised Constitution of American Samoa, which took effect on July 1, 1967. The Governor of American Samoa

7752-476: The Republican Party —officially nominate their candidate for president at their respective national conventions . Each of these conventions is attended by a number of delegates selected in accordance with the given party's bylaws. The results of the presidential primaries and caucuses bind many of these delegates, known as pledged delegates, to vote for a particular candidate. Both parties also have

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7904-614: The Republicans and the Democrats moved their Florida primary to January 31, which was an earlier date than past election cycles. In response, other states also changed their primary election dates for 2012, in order to claim a greater influence, creating a cascade of changes in other states. This followed what happened in 2008 when Nevada moved its caucuses to January, causing other states to also move their primaries to earlier dates. Senate majority leader and Nevada senator Harry Reid

8056-474: The Sadie Thompson Building . Today, it is a prominent restaurant and inn. On November 2, 1921, American Samoa's 13th naval governor , Commander Warren Jay Terhune , died by suicide with a pistol in the bathroom of the government mansion, overlooking the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor. His body was discovered by Government House's cook, SDI First Class Felisiano Debid Ahchica, USN. His ghost

8208-573: The Students for a Democratic Society , and the Chicago police in city parks, streets and hotels marred this convention. Following the 1968 convention, in which many reformers had been disappointed that Vice President Hubert Humphrey , despite not having competed in a single primary, easily won the nomination over Senators Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern (who was announced after the assassination of another candidate, Senator Robert F. Kennedy ),

8360-598: The island country of Samoa , east of the International Date Line and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, west of the Cook Islands , north of Tonga , and some 310 miles (500 km) south of Tokelau . American Samoa is the southernmost territory of the United States, situated 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of the U.S. state of Hawaii , and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator, along with

8512-790: The outer rise of the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone . This is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , where tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere meet, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. The quake struck 11.2 miles (18.0 km) below the ocean floor and generated an onsetting tsunami that killed more than 170 people in the Samoa Islands and Tonga . Four waves with heights from 15 feet (4.6 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) high were reported to have reached up to one mile (1.6   km) inland on

8664-543: The "Manulele Tausala" ("Lady Bird") Elementary School in Nuʻuuli , which was named after her. Johnson is the only US president to have visited American Samoa, while Mrs. Johnson was the second First Lady, preceded by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943. The territory's only hospital was renamed the LBJ Tropical Medical Center in honor of President Johnson. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, American Samoa played

8816-554: The 1836 and 1840 conventions – when Van Buren was nominated as presidential candidate by acclamation – in 1844, it was revived by opponents of former President Van Buren, who had the support of a majority (but not two-thirds) of the delegates, in order to prevent him from receiving the nomination after his 1840 defeat. The rule then remained in place until 1936, when the renomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt by acclamation allowed it finally to be put to rest. On seven occasions, this rule led to Conventions which dragged on for over

8968-558: The 2008 election, but in 2012 both states ended up moving them back to June. California lawmakers stated that consolidating their presidential and statewide primary election in June saves them about $ 100 million, and that it is not worth the cost when there is generally no competitive balance between the two political parties within California. In 2005, the primary commission of the Democratic National Committee began considering removing Iowa and New Hampshire from

9120-460: The Democratic National Committee agreed to reduce the influence of superdelegates by generally preventing them from voting on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, allowing their votes only in a contested nomination . In the 2024 presidential election cycle, the Democratic National Committee held a virtual nomination vote in the first week of August to select its nominee. The virtual nomination rules allowed superdelegates to vote for

9272-441: The Democratic National Convention, for each state, territory, or other political subdivision, are described in the party's quadrennial Call for the Democratic National Convention . Since 2012, the number of pledged delegates allocated to each of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. is based on two main factors: (1) the proportion of votes each state gave to the Democratic candidate in the last three presidential elections, and (2)

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9424-512: The Democratic Party began in Baltimore on May 21, 1832 , only to nominate a vice-presidential candidate as it was clear that Jackson as the party's natural leader would run for the presidency again. In that year the rule requiring a two-thirds vote to nominate a candidate was created, and Martin Van Buren was nominated for vice president on the first ballot. Although this rule was waived in

9576-604: The Democratic and Republican parties, as well as other third parties, have agreed to let these territories participate in the presidential nomination process. In the two major party's rules, "territories" are referred to as "states", which can be carried over in discussion and media implying there are more than 50 states. During the convention, there is generally a roll call of the votes. Each delegation announces its vote tallies, usually accompanied with some boosterism of their state or territory. The delegation may pass, nominally to retally their delegates' preferences, but often to allow

9728-610: The District of Columbia is then determined by multiplying its allocation factor by 3,200 (rounded to the nearest integer): Base delegation = Allocation factor × 3200 {\displaystyle {\text{Base delegation}}={\text{Allocation factor}}\times 3200} Step 3 : Finally, the jurisdiction's base delegation is used to calculate the number of its District, At-Large, and pledged PLEO ( party leaders and elected officials who are not superdelegates) delegates (fractions 0.5 and above are rounded to

9880-727: The Fita Fita Guard and Band and the First Samoan Battalion of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at the U.S. Naval Station American Samoa. The fact that First Lady reviewed the troops led to further assurance that Tutuila Island was considered safe. Her presence underscored that World War II had passed by American Samoa. While the Fita Fita band played, Eleanor Roosevelt inspected the guard. On October 18, 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visited American Samoa. Mrs. Johnson dedicated

10032-411: The Republican candidate in the last presidential election. Each party's bylaws also specify which current and former elected officeholders and party leaders qualify as unpledged delegates. Because of possible deaths, resignations, or the results of intervening or special elections, the final number of these superdelegates may not be known until the week of the convention. The primary and caucus system

10184-415: The Republican primaries as well). Every four years, the nominees are essentially selected earlier and earlier in the year, so the conventions now officially ratify the nominees instead of choose them (even the close race of 2008 , which was not decided until early June, did not change the modern function of the convention, as superdelegates and Hillary Clinton 's withdrawal ensured Barack Obama 's win before

10336-559: The Republicans, it is considered a "firewall" to protect establishment favorites and frontrunners in the presidential nomination race, being designed to stop the momentum of insurgent candidates who could have received a boost from strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. From its inception in 1980 through the election of 2008 , the winner of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary has gone on to win

10488-574: The Samoa in the North. Commerce and exchange routes between the western Polynesian societies are well documented and it is speculated that the Tui Manuʻa dynasty grew through its success in obtaining control and manufacturing goods such as finely woven ceremonial mats "('Ie Konga)" for the Tu'i Tonga, whale ivory " tabua " for their Fijian masters, obsidian and basalt tools, chiefly red feathers, and seashells reserved for royalty (such as polished nautilus and

10640-586: The South could be nominated. The elimination of the two-thirds rule made it possible for liberal Northern Democrats to gain greater influence in party affairs, leading to the disenfranchisement of Southern Democrats, and defection of many of the latter to the Republican Party, especially during the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. William Jennings Bryan delivered his " Cross of Gold " speech at

10792-556: The U.S. Army's Hawaii-based Tropic Lightning Parachute Club. The aeroplane contacted the Solo Ridge-Mount Alava aerial tramway cable across Pago Pago harbor, which sheared off its vertical stabilizer. The aircraft crashed, demolishing a wing of the Rainmaker Hotel and killing all six crew members and one civilian. The six skydivers had already left the aircraft during a demonstration jump. A memorial monument

10944-501: The U.S. Congress. American Samoa is the only permanently inhabited territory of the United States in which citizenship is not granted at birth, and people born there are considered " non-citizen nationals " with limited rights. Citizenship is a controversial topic locally, as the government of American Samoa fears that it would lead to the erosion of traditional customs. It is the only U.S. territory with its own immigration system. Traditional oral literature of Samoa and Manuʻa talks of

11096-399: The U.S. Naval Station Tutuila over the next 10 minutes. The first shell struck the rear of Frank Shimasaki's store, ironically owned by one of Tutuila's few Japanese residents. The store was closed, as Mr. Shimasaki had been interned as an enemy alien. The next shell caused slight damage to the naval dispensary, the third landed on the lawn behind the naval quarters known as "Centipede Row," and

11248-463: The U.S. Naval Station Tutuila, which was composed of Tutuila, Aunuʻu and Manuʻa, was officially renamed American Samoa. People of Manuʻa had been unhappy since they were left out of the name "Naval Station Tutuila". In May 1911, Governor William Michael Crose authored a letter to the Secretary of the Navy conveying the sentiments of Manuʻa. The department responded that the people should choose

11400-478: The U.S. Navy-appointed governor was replaced by Peter Tali Coleman , who was locally elected. Although technically considered "unorganized" since the U.S. Congress has not passed an Organic Act for the territory, American Samoa is self-governing under a constitution that became effective on July 1, 1967. The U.S. Territory of American Samoa is on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories ,

11552-547: The U.S. formally annexed its portion, a smaller group of eastern islands, one of which contains the noted harbor of Pago Pago . After the United States Navy took possession of eastern Samoa for the United States government , the existing coaling station at Pago Pago Bay was expanded into a full naval station , known as United States Naval Station Tutuila and commanded by a commandant. The Navy secured

11704-504: The United Nations' decolonization list, arguing that the territory should not be considered a colony. American Samoans have a high rate of service in the U.S. Armed Forces . Because of economic hardship, military service has been seen as an opportunity in American Samoa and other U.S. Overseas territories . The federal Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 started gradual adjustments to the territorial minimum wage to bring it up to

11856-555: The United States mainland, he was prevented from disembarking from the ship that brought him home to American Samoa and was not allowed to return because the American Samoa Mau movement was suppressed by the U.S. Navy. In 1930 the U.S. Congress sent a committee to investigate the status of American Samoa, led by Americans who had a part in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii . Swains Island , which had been included in

12008-481: The United States to hold its presidential primary was North Dakota in 1912, following on Oregon 's successful implementation of its system in 1910. Each party determines how many delegates it allocates to each state. Along with those "pledged" delegates chosen during the primaries and caucuses, state delegations to both the Democratic and Republican conventions also include "unpledged" delegates who have

12160-411: The advantage of the bandwagon effect . Also, candidates can ignore primaries that fall after the nomination has already been secured, and would owe less to those states politically. As a result, rather than stretching from March to July, most primaries take place in a compressed time frame in February and March. National party leaders also have an interest in compressing the primary calendar, as it enables

12312-569: The aircraft apart. On November 24, 1939, American Samoa's last execution to date was carried out. A man named Imoa of Fagatogo was convicted of stabbing a person named Sella to death and was hanged in the Customs House . The popular Samoan song "Faʻafofoga Samoa" is based on this, said to be the final words of Imoa. On January 13, 1942, at 2:26   am, a Japanese submarine surfaced off Tutuila between Southworth Point and Fagasa Bay and fired about 15 shells from its 5.5-inch deck gun at

12464-510: The candidates that will represent their political parties in the general election . The United States Constitution has never specified this process; political parties have developed their own procedures over time. Some states hold only primary elections, some hold only caucuses, and others use a combination of both. These primaries and caucuses are staggered, generally beginning sometime in January or February, and ending about mid-June before

12616-636: The case in both the Florida Democratic primary and the Florida Republican primary in 2008. The first binding event, in which a candidate can secure convention delegates, is traditionally the Iowa caucus , usually held in late January or early February of the presidential election year. It is generally followed by the New Hampshire primary , the first primary by tradition since 1920 and by New Hampshire state law. New Hampshire law states

12768-455: The convention). The 1980 convention was the last convention for the Democrats that was seriously contested (when Ted Kennedy forced a failed vote to free delegates from their commitment to vote for Jimmy Carter ). The 1976 convention was the last where the vice-presidential nominee was announced during the convention, after the presidential nominee was chosen (Carter chose Walter Mondale ). The 1996 convention that nominated Bill Clinton

12920-426: The convention. By 1912, twelve states either selected delegates in primaries, used a preferential primary, or both. By 1920 there were 20 states with primaries, but some went back, and from 1936 to 1968, 12 states used them. The primary received its first major test in the 1912 election pitting incumbent president William Howard Taft against challengers Theodore Roosevelt and Robert La Follette . Roosevelt proved

13072-468: The cruelty of its inhabitants than the lair of a lion or a tiger". This incident gave Samoa a reputation for savagery that kept Europeans away until the arrival of the first Christian missionaries four decades later. On December 12, at Aʻasu Bay, Lapérouse ordered his gunners to fire one cannonball amid the attackers who had killed his men the day before and were now returning to launch another attack. He later wrote in his journal "I could have destroyed or sunk

13224-503: The current Democratic Party selection rules, adopted in 2006, pledged delegates are selected under proportional representation , which requires a candidate have a minimum of 15% of a state's popular vote to receive delegates. In addition, the Democratic Party may reject any candidate under their bylaws. Each state publishes a Delegate Selection Plan that notes the mechanics of calculating the number of delegates per congressional district , and how votes are transferred from local conventions to

13376-402: The deadly disease. The neighboring New Zealand territory at the time, Western Samoa , suffered the most of all Pacific islands , with 90% of the population infected; 30% of adult men, 22% of adult women and 10% of children died. Poyer offered assistance to help his New Zealand counterparts but was refused by the administrator of Western Samoa, Robert Logan , who became outraged after witnessing

13528-594: The dedication of the Jean P. Haydon Museum . In 1938, the noted aviator Ed Musick and his crew died on the Pan American World Airways S-42 Samoan Clipper over Pago Pago, while on a survey flight to Auckland , New Zealand . Sometime after takeoff, the aircraft experienced trouble, and Musick turned it back toward Pago Pago. While the crew dumped fuel in preparation for an emergency landing, an explosion occurred that tore

13680-425: The door for quotas mandating that certain percentages of delegates be women or members of minority groups, and subjects that were previously deemed not fit for political debate, such as abortion and lesbian and gay rights , now occupied the forefront of political discussion. The nature of Democratic (and Republican ) conventions has changed considerably since the 1972 McGovern reforms (which have largely influenced

13832-538: The egg cowry ). Contact with Europeans began in the early 18th century. Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen was the first known European to sight the Samoan Islands in 1722, calling them the "Baumann Islands" after one of his captains. The next explorer to visit the islands was Louis-Antoine de Bougainville , who named them the "Îles des Navigateurs" in 1768. British explorer James Cook recorded the island names in 1773, but never visited. The 1789 visit by Lapérouse

13984-413: The eighth and ninth delegate ballot. The rules were changed to a simple majority in 1936. Since then, only one multi-ballot convention (in the 1952 ) has taken place. Before 1972, the party's choice of the vice-presidential nominee was usually not known until the last evening of the convention. This was because the presidential nominee had little to do with the process, and in many cases was not known at

14136-541: The election of our major party nominees. For them, the nominations are over before they have begun." American Samoa American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the South Pacific Ocean . Centered on 14°18′S 170°42′W  /  14.3°S 170.7°W  / -14.3; -170.7 , it is 40 miles (64 km) southeast of

14288-531: The expense of smaller ones. Because the candidate's time is limited, paid advertising may play a greater role. Moreover, a compressed calendar limits the ability of lesser-known candidates to corral resources and raise their visibility among voters, especially when a better-known candidate enjoys the financial and institutional backing of the party establishment. In an article from Detroit News , Tennessee Senator William (Bill) Brock said about front-loading, "Today, too many people in too many states have no voice in

14440-464: The favored Robert A. Taft , "Mr. Republican." Also, Democrat Estes Kefauver defeated incumbent president Harry S. Truman , leading the latter to decide not to run for another term. The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary has since become a widely observed test of candidates' viability. The impetus for national adoption of the binding primary election was the chaotic 1968 Democratic National Convention . Vice President Hubert Humphrey secured

14592-461: The first round of voting and are able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate, and then additional rounds take place until there is a winner with an absolute majority. The staggered nature of the presidential primary season allows candidates to concentrate their resources in each area of the country one at a time instead of campaigning in every state simultaneously. In some of the less populous states, this allows campaigning to take place on

14744-489: The first two presidential elections, the Electoral College handled the nominations and elections in 1789 and 1792 that selected George Washington . The beginnings of the American two-party system then emerged from Washington's immediate circle of advisors. Hamilton and Madison, who wrote the aforementioned Federalist Papers against political factions, ended up being the core leaders in this partisanship: Hamilton became

14896-443: The five U.S. Territories are instead assigned a fixed number of pledged delegates. States and territories get bonus delegates based on whether it (if applicable) has a Republican governor, it has GOP majorities in one or all chambers of its state legislature, whether one or both of its U.S. senators are Republican, it has a GOP majority in its delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, and whether its electoral college votes went to

15048-473: The fourth struck the stone seawall outside the customs house. The other rounds fell harmlessly into the harbor. As one writer described it, "The fire was not returned, notwithstanding the eagerness of the Samoan Marines to test their skill against the enemy   ... No American or Samoan Marines were wounded." Commander Edwin B. Robinson was bicycling behind Centipede Row and was wounded in the knee by

15200-612: The general election in November. State and local governments run the primary elections, while caucuses are private events that are directly run by the political parties themselves. A state's primary election or caucus is usually an indirect election : instead of voters directly selecting a particular person running for president, they determine the number of delegates a candidate will receive from their respective state for each party's national convention . These delegates then in turn select their party's presidential nominee. The first state in

15352-425: The government, retaining the power to approve constitutional amendments, overrides the governor's vetoes , and nomination of justices. The legislative power is vested in the American Samoa Fono , which has two chambers . The House of Representatives has 21 members serving two-year terms, being 20 representatives popularly elected from various districts and one non-voting delegate from Swains Island elected in

15504-499: The impact and succeeding fire. The crash was attributed to poor visibility, pilot error, or wind shear since a violent storm was raging at the time. In January 2014, filmmaker Paul Crompton visited the territory to interview local residents for a documentary film about the 1974 crash. As part of the Flag Day celebrations on April 17, 1980, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion patrol plane from Patrol Squadron 50 took off with six skydivers from

15656-410: The intervening years saw their conventions held in sports arenas. United States presidential primary [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Each of the 50 U.S. states , the District of Columbia , and five territories of the United States holds either primary elections or caucuses to help nominate individual candidates for president of the United States . This process is designed to choose

15808-559: The island of Tutuila. The Defense Logistics Agency worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 16 ft × 16 ft (4.9 m × 4.9 m) humanitarian tents to the devastated areas of American Samoa. American Samoa is classified in U.S. law as an unincorporated territory ; the Ratification Act of 1929 vested all civil, judicial, and military powers in

15960-453: The islands in 1839. In March 1889, an Imperial German naval force entered a village in Samoa, and in doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Apia harbor and prepared to engage the three German warships found there. Before any shots were fired, a typhoon wrecked both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice was then called because of

16112-403: The lack of any warships. At the turn of the 20th century, international rivalries in the latter half of the century were settled by the 1899 Tripartite Convention in which Germany and the United States partitioned the Samoan Islands into two: the eastern island group became a territory of the United States (Tutuila in 1900 and officially Manuʻa in 1904) and is today known as American Samoa;

16264-416: The last moments of the convention. Dark horse candidates were chosen in order to break deadlocks between more popular and powerful prospective nominees that blocked each other from gaining enough delegates to be nominated. One of the most famous dark horse candidates nominated at a Democratic National Convention was James K. Polk , who was chosen to become the candidate for president only after being added to

16416-492: The leader of Federalist Party while Madison co-helmed the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson . Starting with the 1796 election , congressional party or a state legislature party caucus selected the party's presidential candidates. Before 1820, Democratic-Republican members of Congress would nominate a single candidate from their party. That system collapsed in 1824, and since 1832

16568-601: The level for US states. On December 13, 1784, French navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse landed two exploration parties on Tutuila's north shore: one from the ship La Boussole at Fagasa, and the other from L'Astrolabe at Aʻasu . One of the cooks, David, died of "scorbutic dropsy". On December 11, twelve members of Lapérouse's crew (including First Officer Paul Antoine Fleuriot de Langle ) were killed by angry Samoans at Aʻasu Bay, Tutuila, thereafter known as "Massacre Bay", which Lapérouse described as "this den, more fearful from its treacherous situation and

16720-806: The list of guano islands appertaining to the United States and bonded under the Guano Islands Act , was annexed in 1925 by Pub. Res. 68–75, following the dissolution of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony by the United Kingdom. During World War II , U.S. Marines stationed in Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence. Young Samoan men from age 14 and above were combat-trained by U.S. military personnel . Samoans served in various capacities during World War II, including as combatants, medical personnel, code personnel, and ship repairmen. In 1949, Organic Act 4500,

16872-446: The most popular candidate, but as most primaries were non-binding "preference" shows and held in only fourteen of the-then forty-eight states, the Republican nomination went to Taft, who controlled the convention. Seeking to boost voter turnout , New Hampshire simplified its ballot access laws in 1949. In the ensuing non-binding "beauty contest" of 1952, Republican Dwight Eisenhower demonstrated his broad voter appeal by out-polling

17024-456: The national average, and neither is in the fast-growing West or South . Conversely, states that traditionally hold their primaries in June, like California (the most populous state overall) and New Jersey (the most densely populated state), usually end up having no say in who the presidential candidate will be. As stated above , the races were usually over well before June. California and New Jersey moved their primaries to February for

17176-410: The national convention were usually selected at state conventions whose own delegates were chosen by district conventions. Sometimes they were dominated by intrigue between political bosses who controlled delegates; the national convention was far from democratic or transparent. Progressive Era reformers looked to the primary election as a way to measure popular opinion of candidates, as opposed to

17328-461: The nation—from June to March. To retain its tradition as the first primary in the country (and adhere to a state law which requires it to be), New Hampshire moved their primary forward, from early March to early January. A major reason states try to increase their influence, and vie for earlier primaries, is that in recent years the races have usually been decided before the primary season has ended in June. For example, John McCain officially clinched

17480-456: The next decade: state conventions and state legislatures emerged as the nomination apparatus until they were supplanted by the national convention method of nominating candidates. President Andrew Jackson 's " Kitchen Cabinet " privately carried out the plan for the first Democratic National Convention: the public call for the first national convention emanated from Jackson's supporters in New Hampshire in 1831. The first national convention of

17632-667: The next highest integer): At-large delegates = Base delegation × 0.25 {\displaystyle {\text{At-large delegates}}={\text{Base delegation}}\times 0.25} District delegates = Base delegation − At-large delegates {\displaystyle {\text{District delegates}}={\text{Base delegation}}-{\text{At-large delegates}}} Pledged PLEO delegates = Base delegation × 0.15 {\displaystyle {\text{Pledged PLEO delegates}}={\text{Base delegation}}\times 0.15} Jurisdictions without electoral votes are instead given

17784-473: The nomination. In the 2012 Republican primaries , Newt Gingrich initially finished poorly in the early states, but then scored an upset victory in South Carolina over frontrunner Mitt Romney . However, after suffering a decisive defeat to Romney in Florida, Gingrich's campaign was relegated back to third place, leaving Rick Santorum as the main challenger to Romney for the rest of the primaries. In 2020,

17936-574: The number of delegates it can send to the national convention. There is no provision for the role of political parties in the United States Constitution , since the Founding Fathers did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan. In Federalist Papers No. 9 and No. 10 , Alexander Hamilton and James Madison , respectively, wrote specifically about the dangers of domestic political factions . Thus in

18088-930: The number of electoral votes each state has in the Electoral College . The calculations for the 2020 convention basically consist of the following three steps: Step 1 : The following formula is first used to determine each jurisdiction's allocation factor : Allocation factor = 1 2 × ( SDV 2008 + SDV 2012 + SDV 2016 TDV 2008 + TDV 2012 + TDV 2016 + SEV 538 ) {\displaystyle {\text{Allocation factor}}={1 \over 2}\times \left({{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2008}}+{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2012}}+{\text{SDV}}_{\text{2016}} \over {\text{TDV}}_{\text{2008}}+{\text{TDV}}_{\text{2012}}+{\text{TDV}}_{\text{2016}}}+{{\text{SEV}} \over 538}\right)} where Step 2 : The base delegation for each state and

18240-541: The number of quarantine ships surrounding American Samoa. Angered by this, Logan cut off communications with his American counterparts. After World War I, during the time of the Mau movement in Western Samoa (then a League of Nations mandate governed by New Zealand), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement led by Samuelu Ripley, a World War I veteran who was from Leone village, Tutuila. After meetings on

18392-411: The official languages, English and Samoan . Inhabited by Polynesians since prehistory, American Samoa was first contacted by Europeans in the 18th century. The islands attracted missionaries, explorers, and mariners, particularly to the highly protected natural harbor of Pago Pago. The United States took possession of American Samoa in the late 19th century, developing it into a major naval outpost;

18544-475: The opinion of the bosses. Florida enacted the first presidential primary in 1901. The Wisconsin direct open primary of 1905 was the first to eliminate the caucus and mandate direct selection of national convention delegates. In 1910, Oregon became the first state to establish a presidential preference primary, which requires delegates to the National Convention to support the winner of the primary at

18696-424: The other three-fourths become At-Large. The bonuses are: Based on the results of each of the primaries and caucuses, pledged delegates are awarded to the candidates under proportional representation , where candidates who get 15 percent or more of the popular vote in a state or one of its districts divide the respective delegates proportionally to the votes on the respective level (those who get under 15 percent of

18848-481: The party to reduce the chance of a bruising internecine battle and to preserve resources for the general campaign. In such a primary season, however, many primaries will fall on the same day, forcing candidates to choose where to spend their time and resources. Indeed, Super Tuesday was created deliberately to increase the influence of the South. When states cannot agree to coordinate primaries, however, attention flows to larger states with large numbers of delegates at

19000-708: The passions of party leaders, with delegates being forced to vote for a nominee until someone could receive the minimum number of delegates required. This situation occurred at the conventions of 1852 , 1856 , 1868 , 1912 , 1920 and most notoriously, 1924 , where the voting went for at least a dozen ballots. In 1860 , the convention deadlocked after 57 ballots, during which 50 Southern delegates walked out; subsequently, second and third conventions nominated separate Northern and Southern tickets. Backroom deals by party bosses were normal and often resulted in compromise nominees that became known as dark horse candidates, people who never imagined they would run for president until

19152-464: The practice was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2000 case of California Democratic Party v. Jones as violating the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the First Amendment . Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party usually modify their delegate selection rules between presidential elections, including how delegates are allocated to each state and territory. Under

19304-584: The preferred mechanism for nomination has been a national convention . The first national convention to nominate a presidential candidate was called by the Anti-Masonic Party in 1831, as they could not use the caucus system because they had no congressmen. The party leaders instead called for a national meeting of supporters to set the party's candidate. This convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland , on September 26, 1831, which selected William Wirt as their presidential candidate. Delegates to

19456-485: The presidential nomination despite not winning a single primary under his own name. After this, a Democratic National Committee -commissioned panel led by Senator George McGovern – the McGovern–Fraser Commission – recommended that states adopt new rules to assure wider participation. A large number of states, faced with the need to conform to more detailed rules for the selection of national delegates, chose

19608-538: The primary shall be held "on the Tuesday at least seven days immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election." The Iowa caucuses are not considered to be "a similar election" under New Hampshire's law because the former uses caucuses instead of primary elections. Should any other state move its primary too close to New Hampshire's, or before, the New Hampshire secretary of state

19760-431: The primary system, states have tried to increase their influence in the nomination process. One tactic has been to create geographic blocs to encourage candidates to spend time in a region. Vermont and Massachusetts attempted to stage a joint New England primary on the first Tuesday of March, but New Hampshire refused to participate so it could retain its traditional place as the first primary. The first regional primary

19912-402: The primary; where it does not, party rules prevail. Since the 1970s, states have held increasingly early primaries to maximize their leverage (see Front-loading and compression below). In reaction to these moves, both the Democratic and Republican National Committees imposed a timing tier system of scheduling rules, stripping states of delegates if they move their primaries early, such as

20064-514: The realization that Iowa and New Hampshire were not representative of the rest of the country. Following the 2004 election, then- Senate majority leader Harry Reid began making a case for Nevada as the perfect American microcosm . Since 2012, the Nevada caucuses have been the third race in the process after Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina is generally the "First in the South " primary. For

20216-583: The results of primaries and caucuses. The remaining 15% are unpledged superdelegates (consisting of sitting Democratic governors, sitting Democratic members of Congress [i.e., senators and representatives], former and current Democratic presidents and vice presidents, and a few leaders of Democratic National Committee-affiliated organizations, such as the Young Democrats of America ) who can vote for whomever they wish. Some superdelegates are former or current state or federal lobbyists. In 2016, following

20368-438: The same candidate. In a proportional vote , a state's delegation is allocated in proportion to the candidates' percent of the popular vote in a congressional district. In many of those states that have proportional vote primaries, a candidate must meet a certain threshold in the popular vote to be given delegates. Some states may use a binding walking subcaucus system, where voters may instead be choosing pledged delegates to

20520-414: The start of the convention. In 1944 and 1956, the nominee let the convention choose the running mate without any recommendation, which led to two ballots of voting being required in each case. From 1972 to 1980, the party's choice of the vice-presidential nominee became known on the first evening of the convention, but this led to scattering of votes in order to sabotage the nominee's chances, which turned

20672-543: The state and national convention. Since the 2012 Democratic primaries, the number of pledged delegates allocated to each of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., is based on two main factors: (1) the proportion of votes each state gave to the Democratic candidate in the last three presidential elections, and (2) the number of electoral votes each state has in the United States Electoral College . The U.S. Territories of American Samoa , Guam ,

20824-409: The states that traditionally hold their respective contests first, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary usually attract the most media attention; however, critics, such as Mississippi secretary of state Eric Clark and Tennessee senator William Brock, point out that these states are not representative of the United States as a whole: they are more overwhelmingly white , rural, and wealthy than

20976-452: The statewide winner-take-all method (e.g., New York ), district- and state-level winner-take-all (e.g., California ), or proportional allocation (e.g., Massachusetts ). Changes in the rules before 2012 brought proportional representation to more states. The number of Republican pledged delegates allocated to each of the 50 U.S. states is 10 at-large delegates, plus three district delegates for each congressional district. Washington, D.C., and

21128-465: The territory's strategic value was reinforced by the Second World War and subsequent Cold War. In 1967, American Samoa became self-governing with the adoption of a constitution; its local government is republican in form, with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It remains officially unorganized and is thus directly administered by the federal government. American Samoa

21280-487: The top of the calendar, but this proposal never gained approval, so those two states remain as the first two contests. New Hampshire also fought back by obliging candidates who wanted to campaign in the state to pledge to uphold that primary as the first one. States vie for earlier primaries to claim greater influence in the nomination process, as the early primaries can act as a signal to the nation, showing which candidates are popular and giving those who perform well early on

21432-413: The total area is 117,500 square miles (304,000 km ), about the size of New Zealand. American Samoa has a tropical climate, with 90 percent of its land covered by rainforests. As of 2024, the population is approximately 47,400 and concentrated on Tutuila, which hosts the capital and largest settlement, Pago Pago . The vast majority of residents are indigenous ethnic Samoans , most of whom are fluent in

21584-402: The two Samoas share language and ethnicity, their cultures have recently followed different paths, with American Samoans often emigrating to Hawaiʻi and the U.S. mainland, and adopting many U.S. customs, such as the playing of American football and baseball . Samoans have tended to emigrate instead to New Zealand , whose influence has made the sports of rugby and cricket more popular in

21736-553: The uninhabited Jarvis Island . American Samoa consists of the eastern part of the Samoan archipelago —the inhabited volcanic islands of Tutuila , Aunuʻu , Ofu , Olosega and Taʻū and the uninhabited Rose Atoll —as well as Swains Island , a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group . The total land area is 77 square miles (199 km ), slightly larger than Washington, D.C. ; including its territorial waters ,

21888-620: The votes in a state and all of its districts do not get any delegates). Statewide and district delegates are strictly separate, they are both proportionally allocated based on the popular vote in the state or the respective districts. The statewide delegates are furthermore separated into two groups, at-large delegates and pledged PLEO delegates, which are both allocated proportionally based on the statewide vote but calculated separately. This amounts to in fact three different delegate groups, allocated proportionally but separately, leading to contortion and slightly unproportional results. A superdelegate

22040-478: The voting in 1972 and 1980 into a farce: To prevent any repeat of the events of 1972 and 1980, the presumptive nominee has, since 1984, announced their choice before the convention even opened, and they have been ratified by acclamation. By 1824, the congressional nominating caucus had fallen into disrepute and collapsed as a method of nominating presidential and vice-presidential candidates. A national convention idea had been brought up, but nothing occurred until

22192-496: The western Samoan islands. Travel writer Paul Theroux noted that there were marked differences between the societies in Samoa and American Samoa. On August 13, 1999, the United Nations granted American Samoa "observer seat" status. Six days later, American Samoa officially recognized both Samoan and English as its official languages. In 2001 and 2003, the United States unsuccessfully sought to have American Samoa removed from

22344-832: The western islands, by far the greater landmass, became known as German Samoa , after Britain gave up all claims to Samoa and in return accepted the termination of German rights in Tonga and certain areas in the Solomon Islands and West Africa . Forerunners to the Tripartite Convention of 1899 were the Washington Conference of 1887, the Treaty of Berlin of 1889 and the Anglo-German Agreement on Samoa of 1899. The following year,

22496-660: The world (the others being New Caledonia and Marajó island in Brazil) to have proactively prevented any deaths during the pandemic through the quick response from Governor John Martin Poyer after hearing news reports of the outbreak on the radio and requesting quarantine ships from the U.S. mainland. The result of Poyer's quick actions earned him the Navy Cross from the U.S. Navy . With this distinction, American Samoans regarded Poyer as their hero for what he had done to prevent

22648-520: Was a major proponent of moving that state's caucuses to January, arguing that Nevada would be the perfect American microcosm : its western location, significant minority population, and strong labor population would be more representative of the country as a whole than Iowa and New Hampshire. Both parties then enacted stricter timing rules for 2016: primaries and caucuses cannot start until February 1; and only Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada are entitled to February contests. Because they are

22800-650: Was accompanied by protests resulting in the arrest of 11 people including Civil Rights Movement historian Randy Kryn. Prior to the 2020 convention in Milwaukee (which due to COVID-19 was moved from the larger Fiserv Forum to the smaller Wisconsin Center ), the 1984 convention at the Moscone Center in San Francisco was the last Democratic Convention to be held in a convention center complex; all

22952-411: Was ended by an attack , on Tutuila island where Lapérouse's men were trying to obtain water. His second in command Capt. de Langle and several of his crew were killed. La Pérouse named the island "Massacre Island", and the bay near Aasu is still called "Massacre Bay". HMS Pandora , under the command of Admiral Edward Edwards (Royal Navy officer), visited the island in 1791 during its search for

23104-564: Was the Southern Super Tuesday of March 8, 1988, in which nine states united in the idea that a candidate would reflect regional interests. It failed as all but two of the eight major candidates won at least one primary on that day. Another trend is to stage earlier and earlier primaries, given impetus by Super Tuesday and the mid-1990s move (since repealed) of the California primary and its bloc of votes—the largest in

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