Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol
Already have an account?
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

Geoffrey Cowan on the history of our presidential nominating process

Trump speaks during a Republican caucus in Iowa.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Republican caucus February 1, 2016 in West Des Moines, Iowa. Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates await the caucus returns from the first step in nominating a presidential candidate from each party.
Steve Pope | Getty Images

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

It was Teddy Roosevelt who seized on the idea of holding presidential primaries in 1912, telling the party bosses to "let the people rule." Voting in Minnesota begins tonight and this hour you'll hear why we use primaries, caucuses and conventions to decide who our presidential candidates will be.

Geoffrey Cowan is author of "Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary." He's the president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. University of California president Janet Napolitano was the moderator at a February 2016 event at the Commonwealth Club of California.