Introduction: National Party Conventions in American Politics: The Attractions of the Convention

1. The Nomination and the Convention: An Informal Disappearance

2. Institutionalizing the Disappearance: The Nomination after Reform

3. Changing Contours of Delegate Selection: The Decline of the Official Party

4. The Rise of the Organized Interests: An Alternative Base for Delegate Selection

5. The Convention and the Election: The Structure of Conflict inside the Hall

6. Recurring Struggles over Tangible Products: Traditional Activities in the Reformed Convention

7. The Struggle over the Mediated Convention: Televised Coverage and Public Perception

8. Coverage Levels and Institutional Character: The Coming of the Bifurcated Convention

Conclusion: Evolution and Reform: The Convention and a Changing American Politics

Afterword: Evolution and Reform beyond 1988: The Future of the National Party Convention

Notes

Acknowledgments and Project History

Index

Byron E. Shafer is Glenn B. and Cleone Orr Hawkins Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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