---
title: "McGovern-Fraser Commission — AP Gov Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The McGovern-Fraser Commission reformed Democratic nominations after 1968, expanding primaries and weakening party insiders. A core example for AP Gov Topic 5.4."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-gov/key-terms/mcgovern-fraser-commission"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US Government"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# McGovern-Fraser Commission — AP Gov Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The McGovern-Fraser Commission reformed the Democratic Party's nominating process after the chaotic 1968 convention, requiring transparent delegate selection, expanding primaries, and boosting representation of women, minorities, and young people, which shifted nominating power from party bosses to voters.

## What It Is

The McGovern-Fraser Commission was the [Democratic Party](/ap-gov/key-terms/democratic-party "fv-autolink")'s response to its disastrous 1968 national convention, where party insiders nominated Hubert Humphrey even though he hadn't competed in a single primary. The commission rewrote the rules so that delegate selection had to be open and transparent, pushed states toward primary [elections](/ap-gov/unit-5 "fv-autolink") instead of backroom caucuses, and required delegations to include more women, minorities, and young people.

Here's the big-picture effect you need for [AP Gov](/ap-gov "fv-autolink"): the reforms moved the power to choose presidential nominees away from party leaders and toward rank-and-file voters. Republicans largely followed suit as states adopted primaries for both parties. The result is the primary-dominated nomination system we have today, where candidates build their own campaign organizations and appeal directly to voters. That's a textbook example of how parties' role in nominating candidates has been **weakened**, which is exactly the language the CED uses.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in Unit 5 ([Political Participation](/ap-gov/unit-5/changing-media/study-guide/3KzCn7tEK8jVIRE9DUkf "fv-autolink")), Topic 5.4 (How and Why Political Parties Change), under learning objective 5.4.A, which asks you to explain why and how political parties change and adapt. The CED's essential knowledge says two things the McGovern-Fraser Commission proves perfectly. First, the role of parties in nominating candidates has been weakened. Second, parties have adapted to [candidate-centered campaigns](/ap-gov/key-terms/candidate-centered-campaigns "fv-autolink"), where the focus is on the candidate's personal qualities rather than the party label. The commission is the cause behind both of those effects, so it's your go-to evidence whenever a question asks why modern parties are weaker gatekeepers than they used to be.

## Connections

### [Party nomination of candidates (Unit 5)](/ap-gov/key-terms/party-nomination-of-candidates)

This is the function the commission transformed. Before 1968, party leaders effectively picked nominees; after McGovern-Fraser, primary voters do. When the CED says the party's nominating role has been 'weakened,' this commission is the reason why.

### [Candidate-centered campaigns (Unit 5)](/ap-gov/key-terms/candidate-centered-campaigns)

Once primaries decided nominations, candidates had to build their own [fundraising](/ap-gov/unit-5/modern-campaigns/study-guide/bDZVglv4xI4UVWT2BM7Q "fv-autolink"), media, and ground operations instead of relying on the party machine. McGovern-Fraser is a major cause of the shift to campaigns built around the candidate's image rather than the party.

### Critical elections and political realignments (Unit 5)

The CED lists critical elections as another force that reshapes party structure. Don't merge them. Realignments change WHO supports each party, while McGovern-Fraser changed the RULES of how a party picks its nominee. Both are 'how parties change' evidence, but they answer different parts of the question.

## On the AP Exam

No released FRQ has used "McGovern-Fraser Commission" by name, but it's prime supporting evidence for Topic 5.4 questions. On multiple choice, expect stems about why parties' control over nominations declined or why campaigns became candidate-centered; the correct answer traces back to the post-1968 shift to primaries. On the concept application or argument essay FRQs, you can use the commission as concrete evidence that parties have adapted (or lost power) over time. The move you need to make is cause-and-effect. Don't just name the commission. Explain that it expanded primaries and transparent delegate selection, which transferred nominating power from party insiders to voters.

## McGovern-Fraser Commission vs Superdelegates

These pull in opposite directions. McGovern-Fraser (post-1968) shifted nominating power TO voters through primaries. Superdelegates, added by Democrats in the 1980s, were a partial pushback, reserving some convention votes for party officials who aren't bound by primary results. Think of superdelegates as the party trying to claw back a slice of the influence McGovern-Fraser took away.

## Key Takeaways

- The McGovern-Fraser Commission reformed Democratic nominating rules after the 1968 convention, where Hubert Humphrey won the nomination without entering a single primary.
- It required transparent delegate-selection procedures, expanded the use of primaries, and increased representation of women, minorities, and young people among delegates.
- The reforms shifted nominating power from party insiders to rank-and-file voters, creating today's primary-dominated nomination system in both parties.
- For AP Gov, this is the key evidence that the parties' role in nominating candidates has been weakened (LO 5.4.A essential knowledge).
- It also helps explain the rise of candidate-centered campaigns, since candidates now win nominations by appealing directly to voters instead of party leaders.

## FAQs

### What was the McGovern-Fraser Commission in AP Gov?

It was the Democratic Party commission that reformed the nominating process after the 1968 convention, requiring open [delegate](/ap-gov/key-terms/delegate "fv-autolink") selection, expanding primaries, and increasing delegate representation of women, minorities, and young people. It's tested in Unit 5, Topic 5.4, as evidence of how parties change.

### Did the McGovern-Fraser Commission make political parties stronger?

No, the opposite. By handing nominating decisions to primary voters instead of party leaders, it weakened the parties' gatekeeping power and pushed campaigns toward a candidate-centered model. That weakening is exactly what the CED's essential knowledge for [Topic 5.4](/ap-gov/unit-5/how-why-political-parties-change/study-guide/T4gSvHQoZ3eRDUm4BYBt "fv-autolink") describes.

### How is the McGovern-Fraser Commission different from superdelegates?

McGovern-Fraser (after 1968) moved nominating power toward voters via primaries, while superdelegates were created by Democrats in the 1980s to give party officials back some say at the convention. One democratized the process; the other partially re-empowered insiders.

### Why was the McGovern-Fraser Commission created?

Because of the 1968 Democratic convention, where party bosses nominated Hubert Humphrey even though he had skipped the primaries, sparking protests and demands for a fairer process. The commission's reforms made delegate selection transparent and tied to voter input.

### Did the McGovern-Fraser Commission affect the Republican Party too?

Indirectly, yes. The commission only set Democratic rules, but as states passed laws creating primaries to comply, Republicans ended up using primaries as well, so both parties now run primary-dominated nomination systems.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.4 How and Why Political Parties Change](/ap-gov/unit-5/how-why-political-parties-change/study-guide/T4gSvHQoZ3eRDUm4BYBt)

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