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How America’s presidential primaries work and what to expect in 2020

A voter exits a voting booth after filling out his ballot in the U.S. presidential primary election at the Stark Volunteer  Fire Department in the village of Stark, New Hampshire, February 9, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Segar - GF10000302166

Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow and founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution, talks with Brookings Institution Press Director Bill Finan about the third edition of her book, “Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know about How America Nominates Its Presidential Candidates.” She explains how the modern primary system differs from that of an earlier age, how the old system would have never resulted in a Trump primary victory, how Clinton and Trump actually won their races, and what to expect in 2020.

Also in this episode, meet Alina Polyakova, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings.

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