Congressional Elections: Looking at Some Basics

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Congressional ElectionsLooking at Some Basics

• Dennis W. Johnson

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Congressional Campaigns

• In House races, far fewer resources than senate,
  gubernatorial, and certainly presidential
  campaigns

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Congressional Campaigns

• In House races, far fewer resources than senate,
  gubernatorial, and certainly presidential
  campaigns
• House incumbents may have a 1 million to spend
  challengers often far less

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Congressional Campaigns

• In House races, far fewer resources than senate,
  gubernatorial, and certainly presidential
  campaigns
• House incumbents may have a 1 million to spend
  challengers often far less
• House incumbents return to office about 90-95
  percent of time.

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Senate Races

• Average Senate campaign will spend about 5
  million but varies widely (30 million in
  California).

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Senate Races

• Average Senate campaign will spend about 5
  million but varies widely (30 million in
  California).
• With those resources, Senate campaign can afford
  full range of communication resources. Unlike
  House candidate.

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In a Presidential Cycle . . .

• Not same voters as in 2006 (or 2002 voters for a
  Senator running for re-election)

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In a Presidential Cycle . . .

• Not same voters as in 2006
• Airwaves will be saturated

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Ways Congressional Campaigns Communicate

• In major media markets, House candidates cant
  afford TV

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Ways Congressional Campaigns Communicate

• In major media markets, House candidates cant
  afford TV
• For House Direct mail radio telemarketing
  newspaper billboards even show leather.
• Old-school communications.

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Ways Congressional Campaigns Communicate

• In major media markets, cant afford TV
• Direct mail radio telemarketing newspaper
  billboards even shoe leather. Old-school
  communications.
• Little help from free media

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Campaigning Online

• A Congressional campaign House or Senate --
  would be foolish not to have online resources --

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Campaigning Online

• A Congressional campaign House or Senate --
  would be foolish not to have online resources
• And a campaign would be foolish to rely solely on
  online resources.

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Campaigning Online

• In House races, dont expect sophisticated online
  presence, like seen at presidential level.

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Campaigning Online

• In House races, dont expect sophisticated online
  presence, like seen at presidential level.
• In Senate race, campaigns should be able to mount
  sophisticated online presence not presidential
  level, but certainly sufficient

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Cardinal Principle of Campaigning

• The candidate is responsible for the conduct and
  execution of every aspect of the campaign.

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Cardinal Principle of Campaigning

• The candidate is responsible for the conduct and
  execution of every aspect of the campaign.
• E-mails, contents of blogs, links to external
  sources, social networking sites, etc.

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Nationalization of the Contest

• Anticipate national 527s, rogue blogging sites,
  YouTube postings, text-messaging.

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Nationalization of the Contest

• Anticipate national 527s, rogue blogging sites,
  YouTube postings, text-messaging
• Your job put all this in context for
  readerswhos responsible for this attack, what
  is this innocuous-sounding organization, who are
  these people?

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What You Should Do

• Hold online campaigning to the same critical
  standard as pre-online campaigning.

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What You Should Do

• Hold online campaigning to the same critical
  standard as pre-online campaigning.
• Sign up for every possible e-mail and RSS feed.

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What You Should Do

• Hold online campaigning to the same critical
  standard as pre-online campaigning.
• Sign up for every possible e-mail and RSS feed.
• Understand that the competing candidates are but
  two voices in the cacophony of this campaign.

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What You Should Do

• Finally unless you tell the story,
  congressional elections will be lost to your
  readership, drowned out in the noise of
  presidential campaigning.