Out of a lack of time to flesh out the exact dynamics of the primary seasons for each party, I'm going to skip ahead to the beginning of summer to get to the "juicy" part of the timeline.
CLINTON PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE
April 22nd, 2008, CNN.com
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has earned enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for President, according to CNN projections. Her 53-47 victory over fellow Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) in Pennsylvania tonight puts the former First Lady at 2,019 delegates, just slightly over the 2,018 delegates necessary to win the nomination. After a shockingly divided and protracted primary season, the first task of the Clinton campaign is to reunify the party behind the presumptive nominee, which may be difficult considering the perceived animosity between the progressives and self-described moderate New Democrats. Feingold has not yet given his concession speech, and it is not known whether he will endorse his former primary rival or withhold his support.
STARTING WITH A BANG: THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
May 1st, 2008, POLITICO
Just over a week has passed since Hillary Clinton won the Democratic presidential nomination, and with six months still to go until Election Day, the general election campaign has already kicked into high gear. The presumptive Republican nominee, former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, has begun a blitz of attacks against his New York opponent, criticizing Clinton on a variety of issues including foreign and domestic policy. At a rally in Nashua, New Hampshire, Romney questioned Clinton's commitment to a U.S. military victory in Iraq. "I'm not sure what [Clinton] has what it takes to commit to a full victory over the insurgents attacking our troops in the combat zone. She voted for authorizing the war five years ago, yet she has repeatedly opposed the war during the primaries. Which Clinton should we believe, the current one or the one five years ago?"
Yet despite Romney's advantage of being able to focus on the general election thanks to his earlier primary victory in March, polls show a tight race going into the summer. And there is still the question of both candidates' picks for the vice presidential slots on their respective tickets. Clinton must pick a candidate that will heal the wounds of the bruising primary campaign and unify the Democrats behind her candidacy; top picks speculated include Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, who skipped a presidential run himself last year, and her chief primary rival, Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. As for Romney, he must demonstrate his conservative credentials to a distrustful Republican base; as many of us can recall, many conservatives were hesitant about voting for Romney and sided with Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas. A popular name floated about in the conservative blogosphere is his one of his primary rivals, former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.
NATIONAL TRACKING POLL
Romney 45% | Clinton 45%
10% Undecided/Other
Romney - 191 | Clinton - 190 | Toss Up - 157