The invisible primary is the informal selection process through which political parties give their favored candidates the resources and publicity they need to launch a viable presidential bid. However, in the 21st century, the invisible primary is decreasingly important because wealthy celebrity candidates like Donald Trump can fund their campaigns and command attention on their own.
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Invisible Primary Term Timeline in How Democracies Die
The timeline below shows where the term Invisible Primary appears in How Democracies Die. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Gatekeeping in America
...these resources, candidates still need support from the party establishment—political scientists call this the “ invisible primary .”
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Chapter 3: The Great Republican Abdication
...Pat Buchanan, and Steve Forbes showed that it’s possible for candidates to skip past the invisible primary if they’re rich or famous enough.
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Levitsky and Ziblatt argue that Republican Party gatekeepers failed to do their job during the invisible primary , the state primaries, and the election.
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First, Trump struggled in the invisible primary : no major Republicans supported him until very late in the race, after he won...
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