Republican Party leaders increasingly express concern that their elongated presidential primary process will damage the party's eventual nominee.

As Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana put it, "I don't know anybody who thinks if you started out to design a good process to pick a president you'd choose exactly what we have now."

Prior to the 2012 campaign, the Republican National Committee made changes to the party's delegate selection and allocation rules. The move had two main effects. First, it stretched the primary calendar. Many states delayed their primaries, but others held fast to early dates. The...]]>