campaigning for office Chapter Ten campaigning for office

Learning Outcomes Explain the eligibility requirements for president, senator and representative, and discuss why an individual might choose to become a candidate for office. Produce a plan for a modern campaign for the United States Senate including the strategy, staff, and finances necessary for such an endeavor. Discuss the role of print, electronic, and social media in a political campaign including the news, debates, and paid advertising.

Learning Outcomes Demonstrate an understanding of the evolution of campaign finance regulation, the development of political action committees (PACs) and the current state of such regulation. Describe the general outline of today’s campaign for the presidency and discuss the impact of the primary system on the outcome of the nomination process.

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? 2012 presidential campaign Multiple early primaries Long and expensive campaigns Extensive candidate advertising Increasing role of social media

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Why they run: Self-starters To further careers Carry out political agenda Response to specific issues or events Recruited by party

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Nomination process Controlled by state law Favors majority parties May include state convention, party caucus or primary election American system one of most complex

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Who is eligible? President: Must be a natural-born citizen At least 35 years old Be a resident of the country for 14 years by time of inauguration

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Who is eligible? Vice President: Must be a natural-born citizen At least 35 years old Not be a resident of same state as candidate for president

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Who is eligible? Senator Must be a citizen for at least 9 years At least 30 years old Be a resident of the state from which elected

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Who is eligible? Representative Must be a citizen for at least 7 years At least 25 years old Be a resident of the state from which elected

Who Wants to Be a Candidate? Who runs? U.S. political officeholders mostly white and male Women as candidates: substantially increasing at state and national levels EMILY’s List Lawyers as candidates: schedules, career goals and qualifications are good fit

Women Running for Congress (and Winning) Figure 10-1

The 21st Century Campaign The changing campaign More candidate-centered Electoral system changes Increased importance of media Changes in campaign funding Rise of independent voters Technology (social media and email)

The 21st Century Campaign The professional campaign staff Political consultants Finance chairperson Pollster Communications director Press secretary Volunteers used for voter turnout activities Former senior White House adviser and campaign strategist for President Barack Obama, David Axelrod checks his wireless device for messages. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

The Strategy of Winning Winner-take-all system (plurality voting system) Candidate visibility and appeal Testing the waters (message) Opinion polls Tracking polls Focus groups

The Media and Political Campaigns Media influence significant Advertising “Daisy girl” ad new era of negative advertising Political ads important for station profitability Management of news coverage Spin and spin doctors Campaign debates The Internet Campaign advertising and news coverage Campaign solicitation

The “Daisy Girl” Ad President Lyndon Johnson’s “daisy girl” ad contrasted the innocence of childhood with the horror of an atomic attack. Johnson’s opponent in the 1964 election was Senator Barry Goldwater, who was more likely to take a strong stance against the Soviet Union. (Democratic National Committee)

Financing the Campaign Regulating campaign financing Hatch Act (Political Activities Act) of 1939 Federal Election Campaign Act Further reforms in 1974: Federal Election Commission Public financing Limited presidential campaign spending Limited contributions Required disclosure Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: Reaction to New Rules PACs and political campaigns Interest groups can set up PACs to raise funds for candidates Funds must be raised from at least 50 volunteer donors and given to at least five candidates PACs can contribute up to $5,000 to each candidate in each election

PAC Contributions to Congressional Candidates, 1991-2010 Figure 10-2 Campaign financing regulations clearly limit the amount that a PAC can give to any one candidate, but the amount that a PAC can spend on issue advocacy is limitless, whether on behalf of a candidate or party or in opposition to one. (Source: Center for Responsive Politics, http://www.opensecrets.org)

The Top 10 PAC Contributors to Federal Candidates, 2009-2010 Election Cycle* Table 10-1 *Includes subsidiaries and affiliated PACs, if any. (Source: Center for Responsible Politics, 2012)

Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: Reaction to New Rules Campaign financing beyond the limits Contributions to political parties (soft money) Independent expenditures Legal if not coordinated with candidate or party Issue advocacy Christian Coalition Buckley v. Valeo: interest groups have right to independently advocate

Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: Reaction to New Rules Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 Bans most soft money Curbs some campaign ads by outside special-interest groups Increased contribution limit to $2,000 with annual increases Raised maximum amount individuals can give to $95,000 over two-year election cycle

Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: Reaction to New Rules Rise of the 527s Tax-exempt, but unregulated Can be partisan or ideological Rely on soft money contributions for funding Can raise more money than PACs

Top Ten 527 Committees in Expenditures in 2010 Table 10-2 (Source: OpenSecrets.org, “Top 50 Federally Focused Organizations,” Center for Responsible Politics. www.opensecrets.org/527s/.)

Interest Groups and Campaign Finance: Reaction to New Rules Campaign financing and 2008 elections John McCain used public campaign funds for the general election Barack Obama raised over $630 million in individual donations, did not accept PAC monies Citizens United v. FEC (2010) Lifts many restrictions for interest groups and corporations

Top Ten Super PACs in Expenditures in First Sixth Months of 2012 Table 10-3 (Source: “Super PACs” OpenSecrets.org.www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php, accessed June 17, 2012.)

Running for President: The Longest Campaign Presidential primary campaigns January to June of election year Often “beauty contests” pre-1968 Reforming the primaries Public now controls nomination process McGovern-Fraser Commission (put in place after 1968 Democratic Convention) Super delegates

Running for President: The Longest Campaign Front-loading the primaries Tactic: win early important primary elections Media labels as “frontrunner” States rush to be first New Hampshire Super Tuesday 2008 primary contest saw long battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

The 2012 Primary Season Crowded Republican field Multiple pre-primary debates between contenders Romney clinches nomination in May, 2012 Democrats hold primaries, select delegates President Obama not challenged, receives all delegates

On the Campaign Trail Mitt Romney campaigns in New Hampshire in November, 2011 with the support of former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who had dropped out of the race by then. (M. Scott Brauer/Alamy)

The 2012 Primary Season National Convention Seating the delegates Convention activities Speeches Committee reports Presidential balloting President Barack Obama prepares to give his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012. (© Steve Nesius/Reuters/Landov) Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning

The 2012 Primary Season On to the general election Begins after party conventions Candidates work to show differences Voters consider partisanship, candidates’ personalities and issues of the day Get Out The Vote campaigns Battleground states see intense campaigning