THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS

THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS

Lecture #7

The 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 plan candidates lay out to guide

their electoral campaign.

The Nomination Game

• Competing for Delegates– The Caucus Road

• Caucus: Meetings of state party leaders. Used to select delegates.

• Now organized like a pyramid from local precincts to the state’s convention.

• Not used by many states.

• The Iowa caucus is first and considered the most important.

The Nomination Game

• Competing for Delegates– The Primary Road

• Primary: Elections in which voters choose the nominee or delegates pledged to the nominee.

• Started by turn of the century reformers.

• Most states use one of the forms of a primary.

• Frontloading is the tendency of states to hold primaries early - New Hampshire is first.

• Generally primaries serve as elimination contests.

The Nomination Game

• Competing for Delegates– Evaluating the Primary and Caucus System

• Disproportionate attention to the early ones.

• Prominent politicians find it difficult to make time to run.

• Money plays too big a role.

• Participation in primaries and caucuses is low and unrepresentative.

• The system gives too much power to the media.

The Nomination Game• The Inflated Importance of Iowa and New Hampshire (Figure 9.1)

The Nomination Game

• The Convention Send-off– Once provided great drama, but now they are a

basic formality - which means less TV time.– Are still important to the party to get organized

and motivated.– Party platform: Statement of its goals and

policies and general beliefs.– Official nominations and candidate speeches.

The Nomination Game• The Declining Coverage of Conventions on Network TV (Figure

9.2)

Contributions and Expenses• Campaigns are VERY expensive.

• House races can cost over $1 million but usually cost $400-700,000 for incumbents, less for challengers.

• Senate races cost much more.

• All political money is regulated by the federal government under the Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971, 1974, and 1976.

Campaign for the Senate, 2002

Money and Campaigning

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

• Created the FEC to administer campaign finance laws for federal elections.

• Created the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.

• Provided partial public financing for presidential primaries (matching funds).

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

• Required full disclosure.

• Limited Contributions.

Money and Campaigning

– Soft Money• Contributions (with no limits) used for party-

building expenses or generic party advertising• Soft money was often used to pay for ads that do not

expressly advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate.

– McCain-Feingold Act (2002) also known as the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Act (BCFA) banned soft money, increased amount individuals can contribute, and limited “issue ads.”

Contribution Limits

To each candidate or candidate committee per election

Individualmay give

$2,300 *

National Party Committeemay give

$5,000

State, District & LocalParty Committeemay give

$5,000(combined limit)

PACmay give

$5,000

Money and Campaigning

• The Proliferation of PACs– Definition: Created by the Federal Election Campaign

Act in 1974 to allow corporations, labor unions and others to donate money to campaigns.

– As of 2004 there were 3,868 PACs.– PACs contributed over $258 million to congressional

candidates in 2002.– Donate to candidates who support their issue,

regardless of party affiliation– Not sufficient data that PACs “buy” candidates

Money and Campaigning

Personal Contributions

• In Buckley v. Valeo (1976) the Supreme Court struck down limits on personal campaign spending.

• Spending your own money on your campaign is a free speech right.

• Steve Forbes, Ross Perot, and other wealthy Americans have taken advantage of their personal wealth in their quest for office.

527 Organizations

• A new source of money under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

• Designed to permit the kind of soft money expenditures once made by political parties

• They can spend their money on politics so long as they do not coordinate with a candidate or lobby directly for that person

Campaign Challenges

Handling the Press?

Campaign Financing

Televised Debates

The News Media

IndividualContributions

PAC Contributions

Personal Contributions Party Contributions

Candidate announces they are

running

Direct Primaries/ Caucuses

ConventionNomination

Debates

General Election

The Steps