Congressional Elections

by Herrnson, Paul S.

• ISBN13: 9780872893382
• ISBN10: 0872893383
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-30
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

Praised for combining solid empirical research with real-world politics, Paul Herrnson provides a thorough and balanced assessment of congressional campaigns and elections. Arguing that successful candidates actually run two campaigns¿ one for votes, the other for resources¿Congressional Elections shows how this dual strategy affects not only who wins individual races, but who impacts representation in Congress more broadly, and ultimately the entire electoral system. Using campaign data, original survey research, and hundreds of interviews with candidates and political insiders, Herrnson systematically analyzes candidate, party, and PAC strategies to give students a feel for how these crucial avenues of political influence converge. Case studies of individual campaigns are woven throughout to paint vivid portraits of real people raising money, giving speeches, serving constituents, and tackling important policy issues.

Author Biography

Paul S. Herrnson is the director of the Center for American Politics and Citizenship and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	p. x
Preface	p. xiv
Introduction	p. 1
The Strategic Context	p. 6
The Candidate-Centered Campaign	p. 6
The Institutional Framework	p. 8
Political Culture	p. 17
Campaign Technology	p. 19
The Political Setting	p. 21
Recent Congressional Elections	p. 26
Summary	p. 34
Candidates and Nominations	p. 36
Strategic Ambition	p. 36
Passing the Primary Test	p. 51
Nominations, Elections, and Representation	p. 57
The Senate	p. 66
Summary	p. 69
The Anatomy of a Campaign	p. 71
Campaign Organizations	p. 72
Campaign Budgets	p. 83
Senate Campaigns	p. 85
Summary	p. 86
The Parties Campaign	p. 87
National Agenda Setting	p. 88
The National, Congressional, and Senatorial Campaign Committees	p. 90
Strategy, Decision Making, and Targeting	p. 96
Campaign Contributions and Coordinated Expenditures	p. 99
Campaign Services	p. 105
Independent, Parallel, and Coordinated Campaigns	p. 116
The Impact of Party Campaigning	p. 124
Summary	p. 131
The Interests Campaign	p. 132
The Rise of PACs and Other Electorally Active Organizations	p. 133
Strategy, Decision Making, and Targeting	p. 141
PAC Contributions	p. 150
Campaign Services	p. 154
Independent, Parallel, and Coordinated Campaigns	p. 157
The Impact of Interest Group Activity	p. 161
Summary	p. 165
The Campaign for Resources	p. 166
Inequalities in Resources	p. 167
House Incumbents	p. 169
House Challengers	p. 180
Candidates for Open House Seats	p. 187
Senate Campaigns	p. 191
Summary	p. 195
Campaign Strategy	p. 196
Voting Behavior	p. 196
Voters and Campaign Strategy	p. 200
Gauging Public Opinion	p. 202
Voter Targeting	p. 205
The Message	p. 209
Summary	p. 219
Campaign Communications	p. 221
Television Advertising	p. 222
Radio Advertising	p. 227
Newspaper Advertising	p. 228
Direct Mail and Newsletters	p. 229
Mass Telephone Calls	p. 231
The Internet	p. 232
Free Media	p. 235
Field Work	p. 240
The Importance of Different Communication Techniques	p. 241
Independent, Parallel, and Coordinated Campaign Communications	p. 243
Summary	p. 244
Candidates, Campaigns, and Electoral Success	p. 245
House Incumbent Campaigns	p. 246
House Challenger Campaigns	p. 252
House Open-Seat Campaigns	p. 258
Senate Campaign	p. 262
Claiming Credit and Placing Blame	p. 265
Summary	p. 271
Elections and Governance	p. 272
The Permanent Campaign	p. 272
A Decentralized Congress	p. 275
Political Parties as Centralizing Agents	p. 280
Responsiveness, Responsibility, and Public Policy	p. 282
Summary	p. 289
Campaign Reform	p. 290
The Case for Reform	p. 290
Obstacles to Reform	p. 292
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002	p. 294
The BCRA's Impact	p. 298
Beyond the BCRA	p. 303
Conclusion	p. 312
Notes	p. 315
Index	p. 345
Notes Name Index	p. 363
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