Beginning of Essay
The was dependent on the performance of the candidates in the primaries leading up to the March 14 election date. As the candidates approached March 7, the new front-loaded Super Tuesday, the gap between the frontrunners, Democrat Al Gore and Republican George ....

Middle of Essay
.... discuss and openly elect the candidate that they support. The party conventions, held in the summer before the November general election, formally nominate the winner of the primaries and caucuses. During the primaries, aspiring candidates for the nomination traditionally begin campaigning in the states that have the earliest primaries. As a result, voters in the states with early primaries receive exaggerated attention from the primary contenders and the news media. In many states, only a party's registered voters can vote in the party primary, which is known as a closed primary. Some states, however, have open primaries, which allow voters to wait ....