chapter 10: elections and campaigns
DESCRIPTION
Chapter 10: Elections and Campaigns. Types of elections. Primary / Caucus. General . Designed to pick the candidate who will actually hold office Example: Obama vs. Romney. Designed to choose the parties nominee - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Chapter 10: Elections and Campaigns
Types of elections
Primary / Caucus• Designed to choose the parties
nominee• Example: Romney, Paul, Huntsman,
Gingrich, Santorum competing to be Republican nominee for 2012
• Types:• Closed: must declare in advance that
you are a member of the party to take part in this election• About 40 states (why? )
• Open: on primary election day you pick which parties primary you will vote on• 8 states
• Blanket: can vote in primaries for both parties• Washington & Alaska
General
• Designed to pick the candidate who will actually hold office• Example: Obama vs.
Romney
Hon .Clay Henry III of Lajitas , Texas
Types of Elections• Primary / Caucus• How to get on the ballot in NJ (each state is different) http://
nj.gov/state/elections/candidate_pdf/partisan-candidate-requirements-123011.pdf
• It is estimated to cost about $50 million to run a successful primary/caucus campaign (Romney spent $110 million)• In the past 3 decades, in almost every case, the candidate who raised
the most money during this stage in the process won their party’s nomination
• What is a Caucus?• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fobO82jbNRg• 19 states
• Why do most states hold primaries?• C’s are too time consuming!!!!• About 10% turnout
Primaries / Caucuses• So where does that $ go?• Organization
• Fundraisers , Accountants , Press secretary , Scheduler , Speech writers , TV and internet advertising specialist , Pollsters , Direct mailing company & Social media specialists
Helps to win Iowa Caucus and N. H. Primary • only 2 candidates in the past 10 elections have lost both and gone on to win their party’s
nomination• G. W. Bush in 2000• Clinton in 1992
So what do you have to do to win? Read: the excerpt from Stormy Weather1. What can help a candidate gain momentum?2. How long does the “invisible primary” last?3. Iowa doesn’t award delegates until weeks after the caucuses, so why are the Iowa
caucuses still seen as important?4. Why does New Hampshire remain an indicator of who will win the eventual
nomination?
Primaries / Caucuses• Need to motivate voters to
turn out for you• Primary turnout low
• About 20%• This results in candidates trying
to appeal to the base of their party while also looking ahead to general election• Republicans: need to appear
conservative• Democrats: need to appear liberal• During the general election
candidates generally return to more moderate stances, must remember what you say during primary/ caucus season will be used by your opponent• Can result in “Clothespin voting”
Presidential Primaries / Caucuses• When voting in a P/C you are actually selecting delegates who
will attend the party’s National Convention to demonstrate support for that candidate. • Much like the electoral college
The Party’s decide the rules, they are not in the Constitution or state law, the party’s can change the rules prior to an election.
• Democrats award delegates proportionally in all states• Republicans allow the state to decide if they want a winner
take all system or a proportional system• NJ = winner take all
Delegates
Democrats• Total number of delegates: 4,339
Pledged: 3,537Unpledged: 802
• PLEDGED "PLEO" (Party Leaders and Elected Officials) DELEGATES• Based on % of democratic vote in
that state in the past 3 presidential elections
• UNPLEDGED "PLEO" DELEGATES (Super delegates occurred after 1980) Primarily Democratic Members of Congress, Governors, and "distinguished party leaders." 802 total.• This equals 15% of pledged
delegates
Republican• Total Number of Delegates: 2,066
Pledged: 1,907Unpledged: 159
• Each state gets 6 delegates plus 3 for each member in the House
• BONUS DELEGATES Each state can earn additional delegates by meeting one or more of the following requirements: • the state cast a majority of its votes for the
Republican presidential candidate in the previous presidential election
• the state elected Republicans to the U.S. House or Senate, selected a Republican Governor or state legislative majorities
• and / or the state holds its presidential primary election after March 15th (this is to discourage states from holding early primaries).
General Presidential vs. General Congressional Campaigns
Presidential
• More voters participate• Typically about VEP 60%
turnout since 1964• More party turnover• Past 20 elections
• Republicans 9 times• Democrats 11 times
Congressional• Less voter turn-out, especially
during midterm elections (non-presidential election years 2002,2006, 2010..)• Typically about 36% turnout since 1964
• Historically less party turnover(recent exceptions include 2006 and 2010)
Why less turnover?!? • Incumbency advantage
• More direct connection to the voter (service to constituents)
• Separate themselves from the “mess in Washington”
• Sophomore surge: can use perks of office to get elected
How to get on the ballot for the general election in NJ http://nj.gov/state/elections/petitions/2012-general-president-inst.pdf
Presidential Elections• Who does the public prefer?• Most candidates have experience in multiple areas listed below
Presidential Election• Theme?• A simple ,appealing idea that can be repeated over
and over and over and over and over (you get it)• Obama: Forward• Romney: We can’t afford 4 more years
• If you are an incumbent, you will invariably have to defend your record
• Tone? • Positive?• Build me up
• Negative?• Knock them down
Negative Campaigning
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLj6yY4P_Rg Jefferson and Adams
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k Daisy
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io9KMSSEZ0Y Willy Horton
• Timing?• Start too early and you may go broke, too late and
you may not build up enough momentum or name recognition
• Targets?• Who are the undecided in this election? How will
you sway them?• Use precise targeting / “micro-targeting”• New demographics(see next slide)
Targets: Demographics• http://
www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/state/nj?hpt=elec_racenav • Need to focus on these voters and mobilize them!!!!
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec12/gop_11-08.html• What groups are Republicans going to have to reach out
to to win the next presidential election ? • How can the Republicans appeal to women and Latinos without
changing their core beliefs?
Presidential Elections• What types of issues will the candidate focus on?• Position: rival parties take different stances
• Taxation: • Obama : increase taxes on wealthy to help pay down debt• Romney: decrease tax rate for all to help struggling economy
• Valence: how closely a party/candidate is connected with a concept• Nixon: associated with a tough stance on crime• Reagan: more associated with a strong economy
Presidential Elections• Who is going to be your Vice
President?• Need to pick someone who will
appeal to a part of the party you may not appeal to “balance the ticket” • Youth / Experience• Regional • Moderate / Conservative or Liberal• Unify party after bitter primary
• Classic examples• Kennedy and Johnson• Reagan / G.H.W. Bush
• How does Obama /Biden reflect this?
• How does Romney / Ryan reflect this?
• Classic Anomaly:• Clinton / Gore
Presidential Elections• How will you “advertise” your candidate?• TV• Debates• Direct Mail• Internet
General Election and the Electoral College• http://
hallnj.org/press/press-releases/1561-video-release-hall-institute-and-league-of-women-voters-nj-release-video-psa-to-dispel-first-time-voting-myths
• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133559n&tag=showDoorFlexGridLeft;flexGridModule
Electoral College: 538 electors in total (100+435+3) , need 270Meet on the first Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December votes sent to Congress counted during a joint sessionHow are electors chosen?What happens if there is a tie? (1825)
election of 1800: Jefferson v. Adams12th amendment: Electors vote on separate ballot for pres and VP to avoid rivals holding office together http://news.yahoo.com/photos/2012-election-maps-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252F2012-election-maps-slideshow%252Felection-maps-photo--47474268.html How the 2012 election broke down, various maps
Electoral College
Pros
• Allows for both people and states to be represented : Federalism• “Extended Republic”• Need to appeal to a variety
of voters, not just one faction or region
Cons
• Doesn’t always reflect the will of the people• Can have faithless
electors• Doesn’t reflect the idea
of 1 person, 1 vote• Wyoming has one "elector"
for every 177,556 people and Texas has one "elector" for about every 715,499.
Campaign Spending• Reading:• Summarize the rules governing campaign finance
• FECA• BCRA / McCain Feingold Act• Public Funding
• Buckley v. Valeo• What was Buckley’s argument?• What did the Supreme Court rule?• How does this currently impact elections?
Campaign Finance• “There are two things that are important in politics.• The first is money and I can’t remember what the second one
is.”
• —Ohio political boss and U.S. Senator Mark Hanna, 1895
Hard Money vs. Soft money:Hard money : money given directly to a candidate’s campaignSoft Money: money used to promotes issues
PACs and Super PACs• Political Action Committees• Created in 1940s by the CIO as a way to contribute to FDR’s campaign• Organizations that have developed with the sole purpose of helping a
candidate to get (re)elected to office• Individuals and organizations can contribute up to $5,000 annually to
a PAC• PACs can legally contribute only $5,000 to a candidate committee per
election (primary, general or special). • They can also give up to $15,000 annually to any national party
committee, and $5,000 annually to any other PAC.• However, there is no limit to how much PACs can spend on
advertising in support of candidates or in promotion of their agendas or beliefs.
• PACs must register with and file detailed financial reports of monies raised and spent to the Federal Election Commission.
PACs and Super PACs• Traditional PACs include two distinct types of political
committees registered with the FEC:• separate segregated funds (SSFs) • political committees established by corporations, labor
unions, membership organizations or trade associations that can only solicit contributions from individuals associated with the sponsoring organization• Microsoft PAC
• No connected committees • not sponsored by or connected to any of the listed
organizations and are free to solicit contributions from the general public, subject to campaign contribution limits. • National Rifle Association
PACs and Super PACs• Created as a result of 3 Court Decisions• In January 2010, the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to
McCain-Feingold. Ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the court said that the government cannot prevent corporations and unions from spending unlimited money to support or criticize specific candidates.
• Drawing on this decision in March 2010, a federal appeals court ruled in SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission that political committees making independent expenditures—that is, spending not coordinated with or directed by a candidate’s campaign—could accept donations of unlimited size.
Super PACs
PACs and Super PACs• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmQ37zm7-uU&playnext=1&list=PL4DCB26A567603634&feature=results_video
• Super PACs may not contribute directly to candidate’s campaign or to political parties but instead spend money independent of a political campaign to influence the result.
• In addition, they can raise funds from corporations, unions and other groups, and from individuals, without legal limits.
• According to FEC rules, Super PACs are not allowed to cooperate, consult, or act in concert with a candidate or their agents or a political party or its agents.
• They can , however, publically declare support for one candidate or another.
• List of current Super PACs• http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php?cycle=2012
Presidential Campaign Spending• http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance
Review Basics Can do Can’t doPACs (1940s)
NRAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3M7cTb68_I Hard money
Only purpose is to get a candidate elected
Donate directly to a candidate(s)Donate directly to a campaign. Must disclose donorsEndorse a candidate
Accept more than $5,000 in individual donations , can’t donate more than $5,000 to an individual candidate
Super PACs (2010)Restore our Futurehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4uTKnhjH1M&feature=relmfu
Soft Money
Designed to promote a candidate and/or specific issues during an election
Accept unlimited donations from , endorse a specific candidate , support issues, must disclose donors
Donate to or work with an individual candidate or a political party
527sEmily’s ListCitizens Unitedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPfr4GvJG1g
Soft money
Only purpose is to promote issues during an election, turning into Super-PACs
Accept unlimited donations from individuals and corporations (as a result of citizens), support an issue , must disclose donors
actually support a candidate : basically can’t say “vote for x” donate to a candidate
501 (c) (4) sCrossroads gpshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT8xAlxKV-w
Soft money
Social welfare organization that can use some of its funds to promote issues
Accept unlimited donations from individuals and corporations , support an issue , don’t need to disclose donors
spend more than 50% of organizations wealth on “educating” people on issues during a campaign actually support a candidate : basically can’t say “vote for x” donate to a candidate
Citizen’s United and the 2012 Election: A Case Study• http://
topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/campaign_finance/index.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/magazine/how-much-has-citizens-united-changed-the-political-game.html?pagewanted=all
• Basic information about Citizens United
• Impact of Citizens on 2012 election • Write a 1 paragraph
reaction to this article.