THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS

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THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS

• Chapter 12
• OConnor and Sabato
• American Government
• Continuity and Change

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THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS

• In this chapter we will cover
• The Structure of a Campaign
• The Candidate or the Campaign Which Do We Vote
  For?
• Modern Campaign Challenges
• Contributions and Expenses
• Campaign Finance Laws

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The Structure of a Campaign

• All political campaigns can be viewed as a series
  of several campaigns that run simultaneously.

The Nomination Campaign
The General Election Campaign
The Personal Campaign
The Organizational Campaign
The Media Campaign
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Do we vote for the Candidate or the Campaign?

• The most important factor in any campaign is the
  candidate (he/she is even more important than
  money).
• Campaigns are able (most of the time) to downplay
  a candidates weaknesses and emphasize her
  strengths.
• However, even the best campaigns cannot put an
  ineffective candidate in the win column most of
  the time.
• Most people vote for a candidate not the campaign.

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Campaign Challenges
Campaign Financing
The News Media
Televised Debates
Individual Contributions
Handling the Press?
PAC Contributions
Personal Contributions
Party Contributions
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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 Bipartisan Campaign Reform
  Act (2002), Formerly the Federal Election
  Campaign Act.

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Soft Money

• Soft money is money with no limits or rules that
  is raised and spent outside of federal election
  guidelines.
• Soft money is often used to pay for ads that do
  not expressly advocate the election or defeat of
  a particular candidate.
• As long as these ads do not use the words "vote
  for", "elect", "vote against" or the like, ads
  can be paid for with unregulated soft money.
• Many argue that the huge infusion of unregulated
  soft money has destroyed the federal campaign
  laws.

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BCRA - Individuals

• FECA limits individuals to contributions of
  2,400 per election, per candidate (2,400 in the
  primary and another 2,400 in the general
  election).
• Individuals are limited to a total of 115,500 in
  gifts to all candidates, political action
  committees, and parties combined per two
  year-year election cycle.

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BCRA - PACs

• PACs may donate 5,000 per candidate, per
  election.
• There are over 4,000 PACs registered with the
  FEC.
• PACs gave over 359 million to congressional
  candidates in 2006 (individuals gave 785
  million).

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BCRA - Parties

• National Parties can give up to 5,000 for a
  House member in the general election and 39,900
  to a Senate candidate.
• Wealthy members of Congress and state
  legislatures often also donate monies to
  candidates of their party.
• Some members of Congress establish their own PACs
  to give money. Former Republican Speaker of the
  House, Newt Gingrich had a PAC.

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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.

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