1. Nominations Campaigns

2. The Nomination Game Nomination Campaign Strategy
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
Lecture Outline
A nomination is a party’s official endorsement of a candidate for office.
Success in the nomination game generally requires money, media attention, and momentum.
Candidates attempt to manipulate each of these elements through campaign strategy.
Nomination
The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party.
Success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.
Campaign Strategy
Master game plan that guides a candidate’s electoral campaign.
To Learning Objectives 2

3. The Nomination Game Deciding to Run
LO 9.1
The Nomination Game
Lecture Outline
Deciding to Run
Campaigns are more strenuous than ever, and many strong (perhaps elect-able) candidates decide not to run.
Unlike Britain—where campaigns are limited by law to five weeks—a presidential candidacy in the United States needs to be either announced or an “open secret” for at least a year before the election.
Presidential candidates need to be risk takers; they need enough self-confidence to put everything on the line in pursuit of the presidency.
Deciding to Run
A presidential candidacy in the United States needs to be either announced or an “open secret” for at least a year before the election.
Barack Obama made clear his intention to run for president in January 2007.
To Learning Objectives 3

5. Where are candidates chosen?
National Party Convention:
Delegates from each state elect candidate
SUPER DELEGATES: Party officials who get a vote (20%)
Delegates are chosen by a primary system
2012 Conventions
Democrats-Charlotte, NC
Republicans-Tampa, Fl

6. Coverage of Conventions

7. Question
Would it be better to have a small group of very informed voters pick the candidates or have the candidates picked by every single possible voter?
Caucus
Primary

8. Competing for Delegates
Caucus - A system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen mostly rural states in which voters must show up at a set time and attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference.
Presidential primaries are elections in which a state’s voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party’s nominee for president.

9. Primary Terms
Binding and non-binding delegates
Types: Open, Closed, Blanket
Frontloading and Compression

11. 9.1
FIGURE 9.1: A count of Clinton and Obama events during the 2008 nomination campaign
The attention that candidates pay to early primary and caucus states is far more than the number of delegates at stake would otherwise warrant. 11

12. Criticisms Uneven attention to early states
The process takes too long.
Too costly.
Low turnout.
Media and polls drive election.

13. The 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 focuses on strategies and events, not on policies

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

15. 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.

16. Money and Campaigning
The Decline in Income Tax Check-Off Participation for Federal Financing of Campaigns (Figure 9.3)

17. 9.3
Figure 9.2: How Obama raised more campaign money by declining federal funds
Accepting federal funds would mean agreeing to a spending cap. By declining federal funds, Barack Obama was able to raise much more money for his campaign for the presidency.
Unless the spending cap is raised significantly or eliminated, it’s unlikely that any future presidential candidates will accept federal funds. Do you think the public financing option should be ended? 17

18. Money and Campaigning The Proliferation of PACs
Definition: Created by law 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

19. Money and Campaigning

20. 527 groups New route for soft money Independent expenditures
Endorsements forbidden

21. Money and Campaigning Soft Money
Contributions (with no limits) used for party-building expenses or generic party advertising
McCain-Feingold Act (2002) banned soft money, increased amount individuals can contribute, and limited “issue ads”.
Citizens United- Supreme court ruled that corporations and unions can give direct donations.
501(c)-Unlimited anonymous contributions as long as less than half spent on political activ.
SUPER PACS- Can raise unlimited amount of money to support a candidate but not give directly to candidate.

22. 9.3 TABLE 9.1: Biggest 10 Super PAC donations in 2012
This table shows the largest contributors to Super PACs in the 2012 presidential election.
Activity: Campaign finance has remains a controversial topic, especially in light of the Citizens United decision. An engaging class discussion could focus on the role of money in politics. Ask: Why would some groups and individuals want to avoid disclosing their spending on campaigns? What are some ways voters might access information on who’s funding campaigns? Should disclosure of who funds campaign communications be required? 22

23. Money and Campaigning Are Campaigns Too Expensive?
Fund raising takes up lots of time.
Incumbents do worse when they spend more money because they need it when they face tough challengers.
The doctrine of sufficiency suggests that candidates need just “enough” money to win, not necessarily “more.”

24. The Impact of Campaigns
Campaigns have three effects on voters:
Reinforcement, Activation, Conversion
Mostly, they only reinforce & activate
Selective perception: pay attention to things we agree with.
Party identification still has an affect
Incumbents start with a substantial advantage

25. 2008

26. Electoral College Change 2012

27. Who is helped out ?