The GOP Nominating Process May Last Many Months

With the deadline for state parties to submit their delegate selection plans, the Republican Party gave Time an inside look at what the next nine months of campaigning will look like.

“The 2016 Republican presidential race may turn into the most grueling campaign in two generations thanks to a series of rules and calendar changes instituted by the party in recent years. The combination of a front-loaded calendar and the expansion of states splitting their delegates among candidates, means a nominee won’t be likely be known until the spring at the earliest– and perhaps months later. If three or more candidates pick up a substantial share of the early delegates in the first month of voting, the race could go all the way to early June, if not the convention.”