Podcast (10/13): The Missouri Republican caucuses

The Missouri Republican Party recently voted to switch from a primary to a caucus for selecting its presidential candidate in 2012.

Under the new system, the party will select delegates through a multilevel process:

• County level caucuses (March 17, 2012): Each county will hold a caucus to select delegates for the congressional district convention. The number of delegates will be determined by the turnout from the last presidential election.
• Congressional district conventions (April 21, 2012): Each congressional district will have a convention, and the county delegates will choose three delegates and alternates for the national convention, as well as one presidential elector. These delegates will be required to declare allegiance to a specific candidate.
• State convention (June 2, 2012): The county delegates will select 25 at-large delegates and alternates to the national convention, as well as three presidential electors.

To understand the impact of the switch, I spoke with Dr. Daniel Ponder, associate professor of political science at Drury University. Here’s Part I of the interview:

The Nov. 2 mid-terms: A post-election chat with Dr. Daniel Ponder

Dr. Daniel Ponder

Dr. Daniel Ponder, associate professor of political science at Drury University, shared his take on the election results from the Nov. 2 mid-term in Missouri.

The biggest surprise of the night in Missouri for Ponder? The defeat of U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, a 17-term incumbent from Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, by Vicki Hartzler.

Listen to the entire podcast for a chat about the Tea Party, Roy Blunt’s Senate win, and Billy Long’s victory in Missouri’s 7th Congressional District.

Have any questions you’d like to ask? E-mail them to me at grovesprof@gmail.com, and I’ll forward them on to Ponder for a future post.

A chat with Dr. Daniel Ponder: A look ahead to Nov. 2

Ponder

Dr. Daniel Ponder, associate professor of political science at Drury University, shared his perspectives and analysis Wednesday with SGFNews about what to watch for on Nov. 2.

His take: Missouri’s election isn’t likely to bring any huge surprises. Republican Roy Blunt, who leads in the polls against Democrat Robin Carnahan, is predicted to win the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Kit Bond. And the 7th District House seat, held for the past 14 years by Blunt, is likely to remain Republican.

Check out the entire podcast for Ponder’s political conversation with editor Jonathan Groves.

For more from Ponder, read his Oct. 26 essay in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more historical perspective regarding Missouri’s midterm elections.