The Politics Of A Congressional Campaign

From the very first elections held in the United States, there has always been a strong link between money and politics. During the first elections in the late 1700’s you had to be a white male landowner over the age of 21 in order to vote, meaning that you had to have money in order to have your vote counted. It seems today that we cannot go a day with out seeing campaign finance in the media, whether or not it is through advertisements for politicians in the media or asked to donate money to help let your favorite candidate win. Because campaign finance has always been on the back burner of political issues, there has hardly been any change to the large influence money has over the election process and politicians. While money has it’s

Chapter one of The American Political Tradition by Richard Hofstadter is centered on the Founding Fathers. The very beginning of the chapter says that the Constitutional Convention was trying to create a government that would pay debts and avoid currency inflation. The Democratic ideas that the Founding Fathers were so against appealed mostly to less privileged classes, and not at all to the higher classes. This chapter says that the Founding Fathers thought that if no constitutional balance were achieved, one specific class or would take over others. Three advantages of a good constitutional government were listed in this chapter as well. One: keep order against majority rule. Two: a representative government. Three: aristocracy and democracy

     In the following essay I will be talking about the disadvantages and advantages of partisan elections for state politics. I will also examine the last couple year’s election results and costs. Finally, I will discuss if partisanship made a difference in the vote, as well as if a judge should be decided by partisan vote. In the next couple paragraphs I will talk more specifically about these topics.

One successful strategy applied in political propaganda is “plain folks”. This strategy appeals to regular citizens in different ways, whether making the politician seem down-to-earth, homely, or simply relatable. One example of this is when candidates always seem to be rolling up their sleeves, wearing jeans, drinking beer, or doing some other “ordinary” activity. This gives politicians a more approachable and empathetic vibe, and is helpful in relating voters to the candidate, hence giving them a desire to vote. Another example of this is shown in Document C, through Stevenson’s song “I Love the Guv”. The lyric “I’d rather have a man with a hole in his shoe than a hole in everything he says” is a powerful example of this type of strategy, as it is making Stevenson just seem like another normal citizen. Although this strategy is extremely effective and quite ethical, it may be, at times, less than informative.

Texas has a controversial way of electing its judges. When Texas became a state in 1845, judges were appointed by the governor with Senate consent, but since 1876, judges at all levels of courts have been elected by the people in partisan elections. The main problem with this system is partisan elections lead to more campaign contributions and increased partisanship among judge which hinders fair and independent judiciary system.

The inter workings of Congress have been studied extensively by Richard Fenno and David R. Mayhew. Mayhew’s study of Congress took place in Washington, while Richard Fenno conducted his research by following politicians within their congressional district. Mayhew attributes three primary goals to congressmen- getting reelected, achieving influence within Congress and making “good Policy”. Fenno also attributes three basic goals, having influence inside the House than other congressmen. Second, helping their constituents and thereby insuring their reelection, and lastly helping make good policy. The purpose of this paper is to research a member of Congress and to make a direct connection between his activity in Washington and his home district. The paper will answer whether the congressmen is a delegate or trustee. Are the actions a pursuit for reelection? Are the committee assignments a path for movement within the House or outside? What legislation has he/she sponsored or co-sponsored and does it directly reflect his/her districts political view. And finally, do major industries and interest groups within his/she district affect the way he/she votes.

Presidential versus congressional campaigns Introduction Two phases: getting nominated and getting elected Getting nominated Getting a name on the ballot An individual effort (versus organizational effort in Europe) Parties play a minor role (compared with Europe) Parties used to play a major role Major differences Presidential races are more competitive.

Assess the extent to which incumbents have an adage over challengers in congressional elections. (25marks)

Over the past three decades, parties and partisan organizations have evolved to become key features of today’s House of Representatives; the two are now essential to congressional policy and the member’s careers. In the article “Presentation of Partisanship: Constituency Connections and Partisan Congressional Activity,” published in the Social Science Quarterly (2009), Scott R. Meinke investigates how House members explain and frame their participation in partisan activity to constituency representation. In simpler terms, Meinke examines the role of partisanship in strategic home-style choices. The author uses data from the 107th, 109th, and 110th Congresses, with a focus on the member’s public websites and how they present leadership activity to conclude that Congressional parties have an impact beyond electoral outcomes and the policy process. Meinke discovers that there exists a significant difference in the extent to which members of the House publicize their activity.

Public policy is affected by the decisions of the congressional and presidential process due to the fact that these parties cannot agree on certain issues. The congressional electoral process offers more individualism among its members than among legislators. Congress seeks for re-elections because they want to maintain a personal reputation among voters. The presidential process is composed of various steps that every candidate needs to go through to get elected. When both electoral are on a campaign they tend to make certain promises to the public that cannot be kept for the future. such as a better education or college students receiving help to pay off their student loans. The congressional primary elections can go in a battle

The special congressional election in Montana took a violent turn the night before the election, as Republican candidate Greg Gianforte was accused of assaulting Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian. Gianforte, and his Democratic opponent Rob Quist, are running to replace Ryan Zinke, who was appointed by President Trump to serve as the Secretary of the Interior. While the election as been touted in the media as an early referendum on the Trump administration, the allegations of assault have changed the narrative of the election. The election is now a referendum on the importance that voters in Montana place in protecting journalism.

Compared to The Democrats, who have raised a total of $363.9 million, The Republican Party falls short $169.4 million dollars in fundraising. This does not mean that the Democrats win the online campaigning battle overall. These numbers show that each campaign value donor contributions in different ways. For example, Bernie Sanders favors donations from grassroots organizations, which made up most of his campaign donations. Most of Donald Trump’s campaign donations come out of pocket, which play a huge factor in his campaign. This goes to show that campaigns utilize plays or tactics towards their target audience to raise funds. Also, there are various factors that play into determining which party wins the online campaigning battle. The amount of funds raised within a particular party does not determine the value, effectiveness, or digital presence of said party. The

Wayne, Lasser, Miller and others tend to agree that lobbyists and PACs have a great amount of influence over congress members because they may have direct connections and give campaign contributions. Recently, the airlines industry convinced congress to pass a $15 billion aid package it needs in order to survive. “The airlines had plenty of resources to draw on: 27 in-houses lobbyists, augmented by lobbyists from 42 Washington firms, including former White House aides and transportation secretaries, as well as the airlines own chief executives and corporate board members, whom all are well known in the halls of congress”(Wayne, NYT, 10/01/01. Lasser, American Politics, 1999. Miller, The American Prospect, 10/23/00. Geiger, Washington Post, 11/4-10/91.)

Many corporations donate money to a Super PAC group; one of the main groups is called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), who is infamous for exploiting state politics. They are known for operating their business “behind closed doors” (Moyers, United States of ALEC), yet they hold a strong influence on many of the other state laws. People would argue that ALEC are lobbyist and a group who tries to rewrite state laws that governs them, when they claim that they are a non profit organization who exchanges a forum of ideas for the purpose of education. However, ALEC is a group who secretly changes people’s rights to benefit corporations. In the article “The Secret Group That Wants To Take Over Your School” by Sarah Lahm, she says

Political campaigns are very significant in American politics and elections. It is the period before the electorate makes political decisions in the form of elections. The attention of the citizens towards politics intensifies as the date of the elections draws near. The salience of voters improves as the election date draws near and could manifest in the form of increased media attention. Political discussions, campaign interest, strength of the intention to vote, and knowledge about the candidates are other manifestations of increased salience of voters. Another indication of improved intensity is the effort put by the candidates and their political parties in the campaigns. Parties increase their efforts in the