The shift to a convention and primary system was intended to do what to party leadership?

• A. Weaken party leaders
• B. Strengthen party leaders
• C. Empower party elites over voters
• D. Increase the influence of parties in selecting nominees

Answer: (A)

This reform aimed to curb the power of party leaders by shifting nomination influence from the party bosses to the voters. Previously, nominations were often controlled behind the scenes by a small group of party elites through caucuses and closed conventions. Primaries and more open conventions let ordinary voters participate in choosing nominees, which weakens the grip of entrenched party leaders and reduces their ability to steer candidate selection through patronage. The other ideas describe outcomes that these reforms were not aiming for—strengthening leaders, empowering elites over voters, or giving parties more sway over nominations—so they don’t fit the intended effect.