[News Terms] Now to the New Hampshire Primary... What Is the Difference from the Caucus?

Republican presidential primary candidates in the United States have entered the primary election competition in New Hampshire following the conclusion of the Iowa caucus.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who won a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, is dancing after finishing his speech at a campaign rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on the 16th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

Caucuses and primaries are the nomination procedures conducted by political parties in the U.S. to select presidential candidates. The biggest difference between the two methods lies in the voting and decision-making process.

First, a caucus refers to a procedure where registered party members in a state gather in person to select delegates who will represent them at the party convention. The term caucus originally comes from Native American tribal meetings, reflecting a tradition of representing village leaders' opinions. On caucus day, party members in each electoral district meet at designated locations to hold open discussions, form support groups for each candidate, and select delegates accordingly. The delegates chosen here then participate in the party convention to nominate the presidential candidate. Caucuses are organized by local branches of each party and only party members can participate. Among the 50 U.S. states, 6 states hold Democratic caucuses and 13 states hold Republican caucuses.

On the 15th (local time), the Iowa Republican caucus, which marked the official start of the U.S. presidential election and attracted global attention, recorded vote shares of 51% for former President Donald Trump, 21.2% for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and 19.1% for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Based on these vote shares, the 40 delegates allocated to Iowa were distributed, with former President Trump securing 20 delegates, more than half. Governor DeSantis and former Ambassador Haley received 9 and 8 delegates respectively. The total number of Republican delegates nationwide is 2,429.

Former U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is appealing for support on the 16th (local time) at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel & Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, a primary is a preliminary election conducted by state or local governments, similar to the general election. Voters go to polling stations set up by the state government during designated hours and cast secret ballots for their preferred candidates. Simply put, while caucuses decide candidates through discussions in a meeting place, primaries decide candidates at polling stations.

Primaries allow not only party members but also the general public to participate in voting. Depending on how open the primary is to the general public, there are three types: open, closed, and semi-closed. An open primary allows any voter to participate regardless of party affiliation, a closed primary permits only registered party members to vote, and a semi-closed primary excludes voters registered with other parties. New Hampshire, the next Republican primary state, conducts a semi-closed primary.