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Federal Campaign Finance Rules. Limits on Individual Contributions to Federal Campaigns $1,000 per election to a Federal candidate $5,000 per calendar year to a PAC $5,000 per calendar year to a State party committee. $20,000 per calendar year to a national party committee
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Federal Campaign Finance Rules • Limits on Individual Contributions to Federal Campaigns • $1,000 per election to a Federal candidate • $5,000 per calendar year to a PAC • $5,000 per calendar year to a State party committee. • $20,000 per calendar year to a national party committee • $25,000 total per calendar year • $100 in cash to any political committee • More than $100 must be contributed by check. • $200 or more must be accompanied by name, address, occupation, date, and amount of contribution
Campaign Finance Loopholes • Soft Money: Unlimited amounts to political parties for party-building activity. • Self-financing: Unlimited money to your own campaign. • Family Contributions: Multiply your contribution by the number of members in your family. • Issue Ads: Unlimited funds for an ad, if not coordinated with the candidate or party. • Independent Organizations: Unlimited contributions to independent organizations which may use funds for issue ads.
Requirements for achieving a “Policy Mandate” • 1. Competing candidates must offer clear policy alternatives. • 2. Voters must cast their ballots on the basis of those policy alternative alone. • 3. Election results have to clearly indicate the voters’ policy preferences. • 4. Elected officials must be bound by their campaign promises.
Constitutional Requirements for Office • President - Natural-born citizen of the U.S., a resident for at least 14 years, at least 35 years old, limited to two terms of office. • U.S. Senate - Resident of the state from which elected, citizen for at least 9 years, at least 30 years old. • U.S. House of Representatives - Resident of the state from which elected, citizen for at least 7 years, at least 25 years old.
Why Incumbents Win Reelection. • Name Recognition • Campaign Contributions • Resources of Office • Franking Privilege • Staff • Casework
Campaign Strategies • Marketing a Candidate: • Selecting a Theme or “Message.” • Negative Campaigning: “Defining” the Opponent. • Incumbents Defend Their Record. • Challengers attack the record, frequently using an “outsider” strategy. • Managing the News. • Photo Ops and Sound Bites • Paid Advertising.
Current Rules of Political Engagement • Advertise early. • Go negative early, often, and right through election day if necessary. • Appeal to the heart and gut, rather than to the head. • Define your opponent to the voters before your opponent can define him/herself or you. • If attacked, hit back even harder. • It’s easier to give voters a negative impression of your opponent than to improve their image of you.