Do all candidates or just the nominees of each party get secret service?

[illinoisprogressive]

I'm embarassed to say I never knew the answer. But, at the rally in Springfield on Saturday I saw like 3 sharp shooters ontop of a building half a block away. Got me to wondering if they have thier own security or have to have or if they get secret service..

[saracat]

1. Just the nominees. But some candidates have private protection.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. thanks. I was wondering but, felt kinda stupid not to know.

[bottomofthehill]

4. Not just the nominees........

Once a threashold is reached, the Secret Service will begin a detail to ensure the safety of the candidate if the candidate wants the security

[SheilaT]

3. I believe that at some point

the candidates get Secret Service protection. It's an outcome of the assassination attempt on George Wallace in 1972.

[sandnsea]

5. Both, sort of

I think all large political events have metal detectors and FBI and/or police security. But only the actual Presidential candidates get full time secret service protection, after they accept the nomination is when it kicks in, IIRC.

[MidwestTransplant]

9. It kicks in before. Kerry and Edwards had before the convention and

before Edwards was named VP Candidate. Basically when they were the last two major candidates.

[sandnsea]

10. Ah, must have won 10% of consecutive votes

"To receive Secret Service protection, a candidate must be campaigning on a national basis, must have a prominent position in national media polls and must have garnered at least 10 percent of the vote in two consecutive primaries or caucuses."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/20/elec04.prez.main/index.html

[RB TexLa]

6. The only person in the country that can not reject SS protection is the incumbent president

[Nevernose]

7. Obama has round-the-clock protection

I saw him and Harry Reid at the same time in 2004. I've walked up to Reid on a number of occasions, even after the 2006 election and his rise to Senate Leader, and I've never even seen protection (unless it's fairly recently added)..

With Barack, you have to jump through hoops. Barack let me through, though, and I got a picture, a handshake, and an autograph.

I've never encountered a speaker with that kind of charisma. What y'all saw on the TV is NOTHING compared to the real deal. Grown men were weeping. It's really rather frightening.

As my father said not too long ago: "He'll never be president. He's too black to be president; some redneck will kill him eventually. Poor bastard, I'd hate to be in his shoes. He'd make a good president, though, even if it'll never happen."

Sad, but true.

[saracat]

11. I've met Barak and I didn't see that kind of protection.

And we were at a large public event and the crows surged arouns him afier the speech to get his autograph and get a picture.I saw NO protection and it was only a couple of months ago and he had already mentioned the possibility of running.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. Of course, it's always possible they were local PD --

no city pd would want to have an incident on their turf. Hard to live down - just ask Dallas.