Recording-2025-03-11T16:25:23.853Z

Overview of Presidential Campaign Stages

• Four essential stages candidates must navigate when running for President of the United States.

Stage 1: Gaining Media Attention

• Candidates need to attract traditional news media coverage for positive reporting, which can lead to social media sharing.

• Challenge: Not all candidates can secure media attention, making this a crucial first step.

  • Gatekeeping: Media organizations prioritize which candidates to cover, creating competition.

  • Framing: Once coverage is achieved, the way a candidate is portrayed (positively or negatively) must be influenced by the candidate's strategies.

• Strategy Examples:

  • Writing a Book: Candidates often publish books about two years before announcing their candidacy to gain media attention through the book's promotion.

  • Grandstanding: Taking bold public positions on hot-button issues to draw attention from media.

  • Circumventing Media: Building a social media following to trend topics related to their candidacy that attract traditional news coverage.

  • Example: Andrew Yang gained media coverage by promoting a controversial policy (universal basic income) and using social media to trend hashtags during debates.

Stage 2: Fundraising for the Campaign

• Once candidates secure media attention, the next focus is on raising substantial campaign funds, often over a billion dollars.

• Challenges include:

  • Competition against opponents who are also raising funds—ethical reservations against large donors can lead to disadvantages.

  • Legal limits on individual donations ($3,300 max) create additional fundraising hurdles.

• Fundraising Strategies:

  • Private Fundraisers: Exclusive events to solicit financial support from wealthy donors, often shielded from media scrutiny.

  • Example: Mitt Romney's fundraiser revealed problematic rhetoric regarding lower-income individuals, highlighting risks for candidates in private settings.

  • Small Online Donations: Recent strategies emphasize collecting numerous small donations from everyday citizens; however, this can lead to aggressive fundraising tactics by appealing to emotions concerning rival candidates.

  • Example: Candidates use fear-based messaging in fundraising efforts, resulting in a cycle of heightened emotional responses among potential donors.

The Impact of Citizens United (2010) Supreme Court Ruling

• This ruling weakened restrictions on campaign financing, allowing the wealthy to exert significant influence through unlimited donations.

• Emergence of Super PACs: Organizations that can raise and spend unlimited funds to influence elections, leading to concerns about political corruption and diminishing public trust.

The Role of Incumbents vs. Challengers

• Incumbents: Candidates already in office often have built-in advantages in media coverage and fundraising, making it harder for challengers.

• Challengers: Face uphill battles as they start from behind in terms of recognition and donor support.

Conclusion

• The complexities of early campaign stages involve not just overcoming initial challenges but also formulating effective strategies to ensure that candidates can secure adequate funding and positive media coverage.