If you're watching the primary returns next Tuesday night, you may
want to keep a calculator handy. Iowa law requires a candidate to win
35 percent of the vote to earn a nomination, but the percentages that
get reported aren't always the ones that matter. If no candidate gets
35 percent, the party has to hold a convention to choose a nominee,
and that's a realistic possibility in one Iowa congressional race. The
prospect of a convention was a hot topic in Democratic circles in
early 2006, and Ed Fallon's gubernatorial campaign made a big effort
to elect delegates at precinct caucuses and county conventions.

Labels: elections