Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Nominations and Campaigns Chapter 9 Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth AP* Edition.

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

Nominations and CampaignsNominations and CampaignsChapter 9

Government in America: People, Politics, and PolicyThirteenth AP* Edition

Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry


The Nomination GameThe Nomination Game

Nomination: the official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party

Generally, success requires momentum, money, and media attention.

Campaign Strategy: the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign



Deciding to Run– Campaigns are more physically and

emotionally taxing than ever.– Other countries have short campaigns,

generally less than 2 months.– American campaigns are much longer.

Whoever is elected president in November 2008 will likely have declared their intention to run in early 2007.



Competing for Delegates– Nomination game is an elimination contest– Goal is to win a majority of delegates’ support

at the national party convention, or the supreme power within each of the parties

The convention meets every four years to nominate the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Conventions are but a formality today.



Competing for Delegates– The Caucus Road

Caucus: meetings of state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national convention

Organized like a pyramid from local precincts to the state’s convention

A handful of states use a caucus—open to all voters who are registered with a party

The Iowa caucus is first and most important.



Competing for Delegates– The Primary Road

Primary: elections in which voters in a state vote for a nominee (or delegates pledged to the nominee)

– Began at turn of 20th century by progressive reformers– McGovern-Fraser Commission led to selection of delegates

through primary elections– Most delegates are chosen through primaries.– Superdelegates: democratic leaders who automatically get a

delegate slot Frontloading is the tendency of states to hold primaries early

to capitalize on media attention. New Hampshire is first. Generally primaries serve as elimination contests.



Competing for Delegates– Evaluating the Primary and Caucus System

Disproportionate attention to early ones Prominent politicians do not run. Money plays too big a role. Participation in primaries and caucuses is low and

unrepresentative; 20 percent vote in primaries The system gives too much power to the media.





The Convention Send-off– National conventions once provided great drama, but

now are a formality, which means less TV time.– Significant rallying point for parties– Key note speaker on first day of Convention– Party platform: statement of a party’s goals and policies

for next four years Debated on the second day of the Convention

– Formal nomination of president and vice-president candidates on third and fourth days




The Campaign GameThe Campaign Game

The High-Tech Media Campaign– Direct mail used to generate support and money

for the candidate– Get media attention through ad budget and

“free” coverage– Emphasis on “marketing” a candidate– News stories focus more on the “horse race”

than substantive policy issues



Organizing the Campaign– Get a campaign manager– Get a fund-raiser and campaign counsel– Hire media and campaign consultants– Assemble staff and plan logistics– Get research staff, policy advisors, and pollsters– Get a good press secretary– Establish a website




Money and CampaigningMoney and Campaigning

The Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms– Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)

Created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer campaign finance laws for federal elections

Created the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Provided partial public financing for presidential primaries

– Matching funds: Contributions of up to $250 are matched for candidates who meet conditions, such as limiting spending.

Provided full public financing for major party candidates in the general election

Required full disclosure and limited contributions



The Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms– Soft Money: political contributions (not subject to

contribution limits) earmarked for party-building expenses or generic party advertising

– The McCain-Feingold Act (2002) banned soft money, increased amount of individual contributions, and limited “issue ads.”

– 527s: independent groups that seek to influence political process but are not subject to contribution restricts because they do not directly seek election of particular candidates



The Proliferation of PACs– Political Action Committees (PACs): created by law in

1974 to allow corporations, labor unions and other interest groups to donate money to campaigns; PACs are registered with and monitored by the FEC.

– As of 2006 there were 4,217 PACs.– PACs contributed over $288.6 million to congressional

candidates in 2004.– PACs donate to candidates who support their issue.– PACs do not “buy” candidates, but give to candidates

who support them in the first place.





Are Campaigns Too Expensive?– Fundraising takes a lot of time.– Incumbents do worse when they spend more

money because they need to spend to defeat quality challengers.

– The doctrine of sufficiency suggests that candidates need just “enough” money to win, not necessarily “more.”


The Impact of CampaignsThe Impact of Campaigns

Campaigns have three effects on voters:– Reinforcement, Activation, Conversion

Several factors weaken campaigns’ impact on voters:– Selective perception: pay most attention to things we

agree with– Party identification still influence voting behavior– Incumbents begin with sizeable advantage


Understanding Nominations Understanding Nominations and Campaignsand Campaigns

Are Nominations and Campaigns Too Democratic?– Campaigns are open to almost everyone.– Campaigns consume much time and money.– Campaigns promote individualism in American

politics. Do Big Campaigns Lead to an Increased Scope of

Government?– Candidates make numerous promises, especially to

state and local interests.– Hard for politicians to promise to cut size of

government


SummarySummary

Campaigns are media-oriented and expensive. Delegates are selected through caucuses and

primaries. Money and contributions from PACs regulated by

the FEC are essential to campaigns. Campaigns reinforce perceptions but do not

change minds.

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Nominations and Campaigns Chapter 9 Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth AP* Edition.

Documents

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