Nominations, Campaigns, & Elections

1. Nominations, Campaigns, & Elections

2. Elections • Elections are the process through which power in government changes hands. • Elections bestow legitimacy on the process and on the incoming officials.

3. Understanding Nominations & Campaigns • Throughout the history of American politics, election campaigns have become longer and longer as the system has become increasingly open to public participation.

4. Types of Elections • Primary elections • Run-offs • General elections • Special elections • Referendums • Initiative petitions

5. General Election • Regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders General Election Primaries Nomination

6. The Nomination Game • Two types of campaigns in American politics: • For a party’s nomination • Between the two nominees

7. Nomination • A party’s official endorsement of a candidate for office. • Campaign Strategy – the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

8. Nomination

9. The Nomination Game • Success generally requires money, media attention, and momentum

10. The Nomination Game • Many qualified candidates decide not to run b/c of the stress involved • Campaigns are much longer in the U.S. than in most other countries; many other nations limit their campaigns by law to no more than 2 months – those in the U.S. often last 18 months or longer.

11. Competing for Delegates • Goal is to win a majority of delegates’ support at the national party convention. • Delegates are chosen through either primaries or caucuses from January through June of election year.

12. Primaries and Caucuses • During this time, candidates compete in primaries (elections within states) and caucuses (private party meetings) against candidates WITHIN THEIR OWN POLITICAL PARTY throughout the US. New Hampshire has the first primary and Iowa has the first caucus. Fundraising and self-promotion continue.

13. Party Caucuses • A meeting of all state party leaders and members for selecting delegates to the national party convention (usually organized as a pyramid). • Start a local/neighborhood level, move to county, then state, then national

14. Party Caucuses • Caucuses are usually organized like a pyramid. National Convention State caucuses Congressional district caucuses County caucuses Small, neighborhood precinct-level caucuses held initially

15. Presidential Primaries • Elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). • Most delegates to the national party convention are chosen this way. • In most states, state law requires that the major parties use the primary to choose their candidates to elect people to most local offices.

16. The Direct Primary • Election held within a party to pick that party’s candidate for the general election. • Closed Primary – only declared party members can vote (party membership typically established by registration) • Open Primary – any qualified voter can cast a ballot (public vs. private choice)

17. Presidential Primaries • A delegate selection process and/or a candidate preference election. • Held in 40 states in 2008. • Name recognition and $$$ • “Front-loaded” • Guided by State law and party rules • Winner-take-all vs. Proportional

18. Front-loading • The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention. 70% of all delegates to both party conventions are now chosen before the end of February. • Iowa holds the nation’s first nominating caucus  major implications. • The first primary is held in New Hampshire.

19. Super Tuesday • Refers to the Tuesday in February or March of an election year in which the greatest number of states hold their primary elections. • March 6th for the 2012 Election (10 states, including GA)

20. Evaluating the Primary and Caucus System • Criticisms include: • Disproportionate attention goes to the early events • Prominent politicians find it difficult to take time out from their duties to run • Money plays too big a role • Participation is low and unrepresentative • Gives too much power to the media

21. The National Convention • Usually, in late summer, Democrats and Republicans hold their national party conventions where presidential and vice presidential candidates are officially nominated, various factions and leading personalities in the party are brought together, and the party’s platform (views on the issues) is adopted. Fundraising and self-promotion continue.

22. The Convention Send-off • Conventions have changed dramatically over the years • Now, mainly just a media event to energize the party; pretty much just a rubber-stamp on primary/caucus results

23. 1968 Democratic National Convention • Chaos and conflict led party to reform it’s delegate selection procedures. • McGovern-Fraser Commission: • Tried to make convention more representative • No longer would party leaders have all the control • Led to primaries in most states • Also, led to the same consequences in the Republican party b/c state law typically sets primary rules

24. Superdelegates • National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention (unpledged delegates - aren’t bound to vote a certain way) • The Democratic Party makes greater use of these than the Republicans b/c Republicans do not bind delegates to select the candidate the party members choose during the primary

25. Awarding Delegates • Republicans are more likely to use a winner-take all system to award their delegates to candidates (either statewide, or by district), but use some proportional distribution • Democrats have moved to proportional representation, and divide their delegates up b/w candidates who receive at least 15% of a state’s vote

26. Media Events • Conventions are nearly as exciting and/or unpredictable as they once were when delegates weren’t bound to primary results and last-minute events and deals could sway votes • The outcome of conventions today is usually predetermined by previous primary results, so they are mainly just media events used to energize each party.

27. Party Platform • A political party’s statement of it’s goals and policies for the next four years. • Presented at the National Convention.

28. Vice Presidential Nominee • Chosen at the convention; usually based on the presidential nominee’s preference for a running mate

29. General Campaign • The General Campaign goes from late summer through early November. Candidates continue to fundraise and self-promote, traveling all over the U.S. to campaign (especially swing states), doing many TV commercials, and possibly participating in debates with the other candidates.

30. National Campaign • To win votes of different groups throughout the country • Television advertising, televised public appearances, direct mail campaigns, and an official web site

31. Media Coverage • Candidates daily activities, campaign strategies, and poll results. • Advertisements very important – where voters learn the bulk of their info. • Critics fear that campaigns have become too centered on candidates’ images rather than their political beliefs/qualifications

32. Money and Campaigning • Candidates rely on TV to communicate directly with the electorate, and airtime often translates into votes. • TV is a necessity, but very expensive • Leads to more time fundraising than focusing on the issues

33. Sources of Campaign Funding • Individuals contribute to specific candidates and political parties. • PACs – Political Action Committees • Government Subsidies (candidates can actually get some money from the government to help with their campaigns) • Candidates personal money

34. Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - 1974 • Congress passed law attempting to control campaign costs and donations • Established the Federal Election Commission to enforce campaign laws, and initiated public financing for presidential primaries and general elections. • Forced candidates to report all campaign contributions (disclosure) and how they spend money; also attempted to limit contributions Note: Congress does not have the power to regulate the use of $ in State and local elections.

35. Hard Money v. Soft Money • Hard money is legally specified and limited contributions that are clearly regulated by the FECA and by the FEC. • Soft money is the virtually unregulated money funneled by individuals and political committees through state and local parties.

36. McCain-Feingold Reform Act • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002) – banned “soft money”, which acted as a loophole to FECA • Soft money – political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass roots level or for generic party advertising.

37. Individual Limits on Contributions • No person can give more than $2100 to any federal candidate in a primary election, and no more than $2100 in a general election • No person can give more than $5000 in any year to a PAC

38. Political Action Committees • Established in 1974 by the FECA • Funding vehicles; the political arms of special-interest and other organizations with a stake in electoral politics • Corporations, unions, and other interest groups • Try to influence policy through campaign contributions; interest groups must channel donations through PACs • Must register with the FEC, so they can monitor donations; All expenditures must be meticulously reported to the FEC

39. Political Action Committees • Approx. 4,000 PACs are registered with the FEC • No limit to what they can spend b/c they can act independently of candidate, but can only donate $5000 to a particular candidate

40. FEC Data – 2008 & 2012 Presidential Election • http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do

41. Some Concerns… • That elections and campaigns have become so expensive that many otherwise qualified candidates simply cannot afford to run for office. • That candidates spend so much money on the primary elections that they don’t have enough left to run a solid general campaign.

42. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) • was a landmarkUnited States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. The nonprofit group Citizens United wanted to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton and to advertise the film during television broadcasts in apparent violation of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act or "BCRA"). In a 5–4 decision, the Court held that portions of BCRA §203 violated the First Amendment.