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Challenging Established Political Institutions

Challenging Established Political Institutions. nothing will change unless we change it . Americans are dissatisfied. 81 percent are dissatisfied with how the nation is being governed 60 percent of likely voters see government as the problem ( Only the political class disagrees )

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Challenging Established Political Institutions

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  1. Challenging Established Political Institutions

  2. nothing will change unless wechange it

  3. Americans are dissatisfied • 81 percent are dissatisfied with how the nation is being governed • 60 percent of likely voters see government as the problem (Only the political class disagrees) • Polls show that Americans believe the federal government has “lost the consent of the governed.”(Only 20% say the government has the consent of the governed.) • And increasingly Americans believe Congress “is incapable of tackling our most pressing challenges”

  4. U.S. House, November 2010 Accountability Gap 17%

  5. Congress has rigged the system • Money • Name recognition • Party protection • Possible threats

  6. The longer they’re in office, the more trouble we’re in Average tenure (years) Percent of GDP Congressional tenure Federal, state, and local spending as % of GDP

  7. Americans believe in self-governance • 15 percent trust the federal government to do what is right • 57 percent express confidence in their state government • 70 percent trust their local government • 73 percent of likely voters trust the American people more than they trust their elected officials

  8. What makes seats “safe”

  9. Winners are picked in the primary • 85% of US House districts are controlled by one party • The average margin of victory for incumbents in their general election is 26%

  10. Turnout in primary elections is very low • The average turnout is between 40,000 and 50,000 • That means only 8-12 percent of the voting-age population decides who will represent everybody else in Congress

  11. The Strategy • Empower Americans to hold incumbents accountable by increasing primary turnout • Level the playing field by neutralizing advantages of incumbency • Target long-time incumbents who are not representing their constituencies

  12. Our Plan: Level the Playing Field • Vehicle: Campaign for Primary Accountability, a SuperPAC • Major Initiative: The Equalizer Campaign • Goal of the Equalizer Campaign: Overcome the messaging monopoly • This means exposing incumbents’ records when challengers don’t have the resources to do so We cannot get a weak candidate elected, but we can give a good candidate a fighting chance against an incumbent

  13. Execution and Results • We use a mix of targeted media and field operations to expose voters to incumbentvoting records • And we build support for challengers • In a typical district, we need to move 5,000-10,000 likely primary voters, and 5,000-10,000 occasional primary voters • Tactics: a targeted campaign, limited paid media • Door to door canvassing • Live and robo-calls • Direct mail • Digital/online/social media • Get Out The Vote activities

  14. Bottom line • The system has allowed – even encouraged – members of Congress to focus their time and attention protecting themselves and enriching their donors • They face few consequences for their overspending but the consequences we face as a nation have never been more disturbing • The general elections allow them to escape accountability for their ways • And when incumbents who survive our challenges discover they are no longer invulnerable and that they can actually be fired, a new spirit will descend on Congress • And we will regain control of our runaway federal government

  15. Paid for by Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. P.O. Box 22529, Houston, TX 77227-2528. (877) 795-8386 Questions? Contributions are not tax deductible.  Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC is registered with the Federal Election Commission as an independent expenditure committee and your contribution will be used in connection with federal elections.  Unlimited contributions from U.S. citizens, corporations and other organizations are permitted and accepted, except that we cannot accept contributions from foreign nationals, foreign corporations, federal government contractors and national banks.  Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 this year.

  16. Early Success We’re already making incumbents less secure

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