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Podcasts Take Two
Take Two Time Machine: The history of delegates
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Apr 14, 2016
Listen • 11:30
Take Two Time Machine: The history of delegates
The presidential nomination process was a long time in the making.
Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
()
Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
()
A demonstrator wears Democratic presidential candidate's Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton buttons during a rally to condemn Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women and abortion, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A demonstrator wears Democratic presidential candidate's Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton buttons during a rally to condemn Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women and abortion, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
(
Mary Altaffer/AP
)
Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
(
Wilfredo Lee/AP
)
(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)
(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)
(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
(
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
)
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
(
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
)
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
(
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
)
This 1837 cartoon is the first depiction of the Democratic Party as a Donkey.
This 1837 cartoon is the first depiction of the Democratic Party as a Donkey.
()

The presidential nomination process was a long time in the making.

Just five days remain until the New York presidential primary and stakes are high for candidates on both sides of the political aisle.

The "Excelsior" state holds a trove of delegates; for Hillary Clinton, a win would further propel her past Bernie Sanders. For Donald Trump, the delegate boost could chip away at the chances of a contested convention.

The value of delegates has been on full display this election cycle, but their role has changed a lot since the days of the founding fathers.  

For more on how the current system came to be, Take Two spoke to Seth Masket, chair of the department of political science at the University of Denver and author of the book, “The Inevitable Party: Why Attempts to Kill the Party System Fail and How they Weaken Democracy.”

1832 Democratic Convention

This 1837 cartoon is the first depiction of the Democratic Party as a Donkey.
This 1837 cartoon is the first depiction of the Democratic Party as a Donkey.
()

1860 Democratic Convention

Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell: the four candidates vying for office in the 1860 presidential campaign. Library of Congress.
()

1910 Changes

Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
(
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
)

Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
Political cartoon from the 1912 election.
(
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
)

 
 

1968 Democratic Convention

(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)

(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)

(
NBC NewsWire/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
)

2016 Presidential Race

A demonstrator wears Democratic presidential candidate's Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton buttons during a rally to condemn Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women and abortion, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
A demonstrator wears Democratic presidential candidate's Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Hillary Clinton buttons during a rally to condemn Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women and abortion, Thursday, March 31, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
(
Mary Altaffer/AP
)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks, as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, listens, during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by CNN, Salem Media Group and the Washington Times at the University of Miami, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
(
Wilfredo Lee/AP
)