"The race that's run before the one for president - that's "the money primary." But more than money must be acquired in the early campaign for president. What's often just as important in securing candidate viability and success is the media coverage garnered during this time, since this is frequently the first decisive test of a presidential candidate's strength." "The election years of 1988 and 2000 stand out among recent presidential nomination campaigns because they were two elections in which both major parties had open nomination contests. In this book, Michael J. Goff looks at the pre-candidacy and early candidacy periods of each of these election cycles and the decisive impact that the money primary had on both. His study confirms the pivotal importance of money and media coverage in a successful nomination bid and suggests the advent of yet a new period in the ever-evolving system of presidential selection."--BOOK JACKET.