Modern Political Campaigns

Modern Political Campaigns
Author: Michael D. Cohen
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2021-06-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1538153815

Modern Political Campaigns brings together academic, practical, and interviews to help understand how professionalism, technology, and speed have revolutionized elections, creating more voter-centric races for public office. Dr. Michael D. Cohen, a 20+ year veteran of working on, teaching, and writing about political campaigns take readers through how campaigns are organized, state-of-the-art tools of the trade, and how some of the most interesting people in politics got their big breaks. The book takes readers through clear-eyed chapters on parties and elections, campaign planning and management, fundraising, independent groups, vulnerability and opposition research, data and analytics, focus groups and polling, earned, paid and social media, and field operations. Finally, the book revisits the Permanent Campaign in terms of modern approaches to winning elections raising questions about today’s uniform preference for turnout over persuasion and what that means for our American democracy. Modern Political Campaigns will appeal to students and political activists interested in working in political campaigns. It is also a great read for anyone who wants to better understand the nuts and bolts of campaigns in practical terms from professionals, and the opportunities they provide all of us to be more engaged citizens and hold our leaders more accountable each Election Day.

The Modern Political Campaign

The Modern Political Campaign
Author: Richard K. Scher
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1997
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780765637819

Political campaigns in the United States have been . favorite targets of critics since our nation's origin. "Too long," "too expensive," "too negative," "too personal," "unbecoming to our democracy" -- these criticisms were made in the nineteenth century just as they are made today; but are they compelling?This short book takes a fresh look at the American style of campaign politics, past and present, warts and all, to argue that campaigns reflect both our popular culture and the place of politics in our national life. In the end, the purpose of campaigns is to draw voters' attention to a candidate or issue, even though politics is not of immediate interest to many or most citizens. That is what campaigns do and always have done in America -- and there is little reason to think that a more cerebral approach to politics would be more effective.Reflective, analytical, and firmly committed to democratic values, this book challenges citizens to trade cynicism for realism -- to take a clear-eyed look at our politics and ourselves, and appreciate both for what they are.

The Political Persuaders

The Political Persuaders
Author: Dan D. Nimmo
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J : Prentice-Hall
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1970
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Are political campaigns really important? What do they actually accomplish? Do campaigns bring significant political issues to the attention of voters, or do they only try to "sell" the candidates? Dan Nimmo considers these perplexing questions in his intriguing analysis of modern political campaigns. He concludes that campaigns are crucial to our democratic election process, but that they serve vastly different purposes than is commonly believed. As Nimmo demonstrates the "images" of candidates may be more important than real issues or policies, because professional campaign managers, pollsters, and media men increasingly direct all phases of modern election campaigns. (from book cover).

Campaigns and Elections American Style

Campaigns and Elections American Style
Author: Candice J. Nelson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429887132

Following one of the most contentious and surprising elections in US history, the new edition of this classic text demonstrates unequivocally: Campaigns matter. With new and revised chapters throughout, Campaigns and Elections American Style provides a real education in contemporary campaign politics. In the fifth edition, academics and campaign professionals explain how Trump won the presidency, comparing his sometimes novel tactics with tried and true strategies including how campaign themes and strategies are developed and communicated, the changes in campaign tactics as a result of changing technology, new techniques to target and mobilize voters, the evolving landscape of campaign finance and election laws, and the increasing diversity of the role of media in elections. Offering a unique and careful mix of Democrat and Republican, academic and practitioner, and male and female campaign perspectives, this volume scrutinizes national and local-level campaigns with a special focus on the 2016 presidential and congressional elections and what those elections might tell us about 2018 and 2020. Students, citizens, candidates, and campaign managers will learn not only how to win elections but also why it is imperative to do so in an ethical way. Perfect for a variety of courses in American government, this book is essential reading for political junkies of any stripe and serious students of campaigns and elections. Highlights of the Fifth Edition Covers the 2016 elections with an eye to 2018 and 2020. Explains how Trump won the presidency, the changes in campaign tactics as a result of changing technology, new techniques to target and mobilize voters, the evolving landscape of campaign finance and election laws, and the increasing diversity of the role of media. Includes a new part structure and the addition of part introductions to help students contextualize the major issues and trends in campaigns and elections.

Building a Business of Politics

Building a Business of Politics
Author: Adam D. Sheingate
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190217197

Today, politics is big business. Most of the 6 billion spent during the 2012 campaign went to highly paid political consultants. In Building a Business of Politics, a lively history of political consulting, Adam Sheingate examines the origins of the industry and its consequences for American democracy.

Inside Campaigns

Inside Campaigns
Author: William J. Feltus
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2018-07-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1544316763

"Inside Campaigns: Elections Through the Eyes of Political Professionals is essential reading not only for students interested in running campaigns and for journalism students who want to cover politics, but for campaign operatives generally and journalists who want to raise the level of their game. In fact, it’s good reading for everybody." —Thomas B. Edsall, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism "Much of our useful knowledge sits at the intersection of disciplines. Inside Campaigns demonstrates that through a skillful combination of political science with management in a highly readable and practical format. A first for this field!" —Leonard A. Schlesinger, Baker Foundation Professor-Harvard Business School, President Emeritus-Babson College Inside Campaigns, Second Edition takes readers on a journey into the world of campaign managers. Powered by scores of interviews and surveys of political professionals, the book considers the purpose, potency, and poetry of modern political campaigns in the US. The expert author team draw from years of scholarly research and professional campaign experience to guide readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the ways campaigns are managed, the strategies that are employed, the roles played by both staff and the candidates, and the affects election outcomes have on American democracy. Readers will develop an understanding of what campaigns do and why they matter, as well as gain practical skills for working in a campaign or advocating for a cause. New to the Second Edition: A case study created from an in-depth interview with Bernie Sanders’ top digital decision-makers describes how the Sanders’ campaign used digital media to harness the energy of their highly motivated base supporters. This case shows students a real-life campaign decision-making situation, and demonstrates how campaigns use new digital media to drive traditional news media coverage. A unique joint interview with the top media buyers from the Clinton and Trump campaigns reveals how each campaign tracked the other’s advertising and adjusted their own advertising based on competitive tracking information. This interview illustrates to students how modern campaigns use media tracking technologies to monitor their opposition and spend tens of millions of dollars at the presidential level. A top Trump digital manager shares inside details of how the Republican National Committee moved quickly to help build out the Trump digital operations after it was clear that Trump would be the party’s presidential nominee. This insight helps students understand how the Trump campaign answered, "What do we tell them?" by testing messages online, including recycling Trump’s personal tweets in instant messages and emails. The differences between how the Clinton and Trump campaigns managed the news media are highlighted in a case study of one journalist’s experiences covering both campaigns. This case study helps the student build skills for becoming a "spinmeister" who handles day-to-day relationships with the news media. The authors’ research surprisingly reveals that, behind the scenes, Trump was much more available to reporters than Clinton, despite Trump’s continuous public attacks on the "fake news media."

Political Consultants and Campaigns

Political Consultants and Campaigns
Author: Jason Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2018-04-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429977840

Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell examines the differences between how political science theory suggests campaigns should be run and how political consultants actually run campaigns. In the wake of consultants who effortlessly move from campaigners to policymakers, the dearth of knowledge about the attitudes, beliefs, and strategies of the consultants themselves is still a glaring absence in the analysis of American politics. How can we purport to know what is happening in American political campaigns if we don't know what is on the minds of the men and women who run them? This book provides a clearer understanding of modern-day political campaigns by revealing what is on the minds of the people who run them. With original data from consultants, campaign managers, and professional campaign schools, author Jason Johnson examines consultant behavior on message formation, policy positioning, candidate recruitment, Internet strategy, and negative advertising and compares these practices to existing political science theory. This groundbreaking research makes Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell a must-have resource for all students of American politics, campaign managers, or anyone interested in how political campaigns in America are run.

Campaigning in the Twenty-First Century

Campaigning in the Twenty-First Century
Author: Dennis W. Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2011-01-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135968128

So much has changed during the past decade in political campaigning that we can almost say "it's a whole new ball game." This book analyzes the way campaigns were traditionally run and the extraordinary changes that have occurred in the last decade. Dennis W. Johnson looks at the most sophisticated techniques of modern campaigning—micro-targeting, online fundraising, digital communication, the new media—and examines what has changed, how those changes have dramatically transformed campaigning, and what has remained fundamentally the same despite new technologies and communications. Campaigns are becoming more open and free-wheeling, with greater involvement of activists and average voters alike. But they can also become more chaotic and difficult to control. Campaigning in the Twenty-First Century presents daunting challenges for candidates and professional consultants as they try to get their messages out to voters. Ironically, the more open and robust campaigns become, the greater is the need for seasoned, flexible and imaginative professional consultants.

Political Campaigning in the U.S.

Political Campaigning in the U.S.
Author: David A. Jones
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2020-02-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1538115204

Political Campaigning in the U.S.: Managing the Chaos provides students with the latest insights into modern election campaign practices. It is premised on the idea that all Americans should understand how campaigns operate—how they collect information about voters, how they attempt to change what voters think about the candidates, and how they encourage voters to act in certain ways. An electoral campaign is a chaotic, short-term operation that must adapt to a complicated political landscape as well as deep-seeded psychological forces outside of its control. The ads they air, the media they manage, the data they gather, the doors on which they knock, the phone calls they make, the posts they share – all of these efforts can make small but measurable differences. Jones introduces students to the strategies and tools that campaigns employ in their attempt to win elections. It also uses academic research to assess which efforts are most promising for managing the chaos that is a modern campaign operation.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Campaigns

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Campaigns
Author: Caitlin Huxley
Publisher: Caitlin Huxley
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2023-10-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." – Sun Tzu Embrace the strategic mindset that has shaped leaders for centuries and win your campaign before it even starts. In "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Campaigns," Caitlin Huxley, a seasoned campaign strategist with 15 years of experience, offers a unique take on Sun Tzu's ancient wisdom. Huxley blends her personal stories from the campaign trail with timeless tactics, providing real-life lessons and strategic insights that are essential for today's political landscape. This book is more than a guide; it's a journey through the art of political campaigning, as seen through the lens of a modern strategist. Huxley decodes Sun Tzu for the modern era, offering insights relevant to both seasoned observers and those newly interested in political strategy. Every chapter in this book brings you a step closer to mastering the art of political success. Essential for anyone serious about gaining an edge in political strategy, this book is your guide to navigating today's politics with timeless strategies. Don't wait—start your journey to mastery today with your own copy and discover the real campaign wisdom that can only come from a blend of ancient tactics and modern expertise.