The Campaign Process

1. The Campaign Process

2. Roots • Nomination Campaign – winning a primary election to represent your party in the general election. • General Election Campaign – win a general election and assume the office for which you are running.

3. Campaign Staff • Candidate • Staff – paid staff, consultants, dedicated volunteers • Campaign manager – coordinates the campaign • Finance chair – coordinates fundraising • Communication Director – develops and implements media strategy

4. Press secretary – interacts and communicates with journalists • Internet team – web-based resources • Campaign consultant – professional who sells the candidate tech, services, and strategies • Media consultant – professional who produces ads, etc. • Pollster – takes public opinion surveys

5. Volunteer campaign staff – grass roots people • Voter canvass – reach individual voter by phone, door-to-door visits, etc. • Get Out The Vote – push at end of the campaign to get supporters to the polls.

6. Raising Money • Federal Election Campaign Act – make campaigns fair and transparent. Presidential Public Funding Program. • Federal Election Commission – enforces election laws. • Soft money – unregulated through personal donations to state and local committees. • Hard money – Legally specified and limited contributions regulated by FECA and FEC.

7. Bipartisan Campaign reform Act – attempt to limit influence of donated money on campaigns. • McConnell v. FEC (2003) – governments interest in preventing corruption overrides the free speech rights to which the parties would otherwise be entitled. BCRA’s restrictions on soft money and political ads did not violate free speech rights. • Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – BCRA’s ban on electioneering communications made by corporations and unions unconstitutional.

8. Sources of funds • Individuals - $2400 per election to each candidate • Political parties – national parties can give to reps and senators • PAC’s – • Buckley v. Valco (1976) – no limit on family money • Public funds – donations from general tax revenues - $3 per person

9. Matching funds – from Fed Gov equal to amount of private funds. • 527 political committees – nonprofit and unregulated interest groups. Can only advocate on behalf of an issue. • 501(c)(3) committees – nonprofit and tax-exempt groups that can educate voters about issues and are not required to release the names of their contributors. Prohibited from conducting campaign activities to influence elections.

10. Reaching voters • Traditional media • Strategies to Control Media Coverage – 1. isolate candidate from press 2. sound bites 3. spin 4. TV talk and comedy shows. (Leno, Letterman)

11. Debates • New Media – internet, etc. • Positive ad – on behalf of candidate • Negative ad – attacks opponents platform or character • Contrast ad – compares records and proposals of candidates with bias towards sponsor. • Inoculation ad – anticipates attack from opponent before it happens.