Elections and Campaigns

  • The U.S. hold more elections because of Federalism

Campaigns

  • Until the 1950’s, political parties ran most campaigns

  • Today, candidates manage their own campaign

Nomination for Congress

  • Many primary races have little or no competition

  • Infra-party → R vs R D vs D

  • General Election: R vs D

Nomination for President

  • presidential candidates for each party are chosen at a national convention

  • primary and caucus

Referendums: an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitution

Single Member Districts: only 1 candidate is elected to each office on the ballot

Closed Primaries: voter must declare in advance his/her party membership during registration

Open primaries: voter can decide if he/she wants to vote in the democrat or republican primary on primary day

Super Delegates: party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention w/o having to run in primaries or caucuses

Party Platform: statement of a party’s goals and policies for the next four years (best formal statement of a party’s beliefs) (ex. Covid 19) (must change every year)

Debates: The first televised debate was between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon; since then, debates have been aired regularly

Money

Sources:

  1. Small contributors- people who give between $5-10

  2. Wealthy- people who make large donations

  3. Candidates- candidates can spend their own money on campaigns

  4. Non-party groups, especially political action committees (Pacs)- the political arms of special-interest and other organizations with a stake in politics (Independent Expenditures) - there is limitations on how much money Pacs can spend

  5. Temporary Organizations and fundraisers

Federal election commission- FEC administers federal law that deals with campaign finance

Hard Money: money raised and spent to elect candidates for Congress or the White House

Soft Money: funds given to party organizations for party-building activities

Ex.) candidate recruitment, voter registration

  • Soft money was easy to use for campaigns (soft-money loophole)

  • McCain-Feingold (BCRA) became law in 2002

  • It banned soft money contributions to political parties

Super PACs: (independent expenditure only political committees) can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other PACs for the purpose of financing independent expenditures and other independent political activity

Help America Vote Act

  • passed in 2002

  • the purpose of the act was to shift from older voting machines to touch screen machines

Buckley vs Valeo (1974)

  • money equals speech (considered part of the first amendment)

Campaign spending limits

  • limits money usage before an election