3.4

1.What's the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the primary calendar?
Phase 1 is just the 4 early states in February, which have an extraordinary impact on the race's overall narrative. Phase 2 is the briefest (March 1-17), where more than half the delegates will be locked down. 

2. Which four states get to vote first, separated roughly into one each week?
Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina

3. There are few delegates available in these four states, why are the primaries so important?
The political world looks at these results and takes them as cues about which contenders actually win. 

4. How many delegates are available in Phase 2?
more than half of 3979

5. Which regions are holding most of their primaries on Super Tuesday?
South, New England, West, Midwest

6. How many primaries are held the following week on March 10? And how many on March 17? 
7 primaries, 3 primaries

7. What is different about the California primary this year?
California moved from an early June to Super Tuesday. 

8. Why is Phase 3 less important than 1 and 2?
The nomination could be settled before this due to candidate dropouts, but there's a gap between April 7 and April 28. 

9. What is one argument in favor of letting Iowa and New Hampshire (small states) go first?
It lets lesser-known candidates make their case in a smaller, more manageable setting. 

10. How does the Democratic Party way of distributing delegates make this system even slower?
They allot delegates proportionally, with no winner-take-all contests.