Unit 6 (Chapters 13-14)

Elections & Campaigns

Running for Federal Office

• Over 90% re-election rate in the House and Senate.

• House races are less contested than Senate races.• Senators run in a statewide election, House run in

Districts.• Senators run every six years, Congressmen run

every two years but have unlimited terms.• Coattail effect – when the president is strong,

members of his party are voted for.•More frequently in Congress and in Senate races

(stronger in presidential election years)

WHY INCUMBENTS WIN?

• Name recognition• Constituent service (casework)• Easier to raise money• Assignments on committees that serve

their constituents• Free Press• Take credit for anything positive that has

happened. Blame Washington (or prez) for anything bad that has occurred.

• FRANKING PRIVILEGE

CAMPAIGNS

• Campaigns are extremely expensive. • Most campaigns are now

concentrated on the media.• Negative ads work, that’s why they

use them.

CAMPAIGNS

• Incumbents are rarely challenged in a primary election.

• A primary election is an election to nominate a candidate for office, has a low voter turnout.

Types of Primaries

• Closed primaries are most common, you must belong to a party to participate in primary.

• Open primaries allow any registered voter to participate.

• Most important thing to campaign is name recognition, most get known to be chosen.

• Open seat is an election where there is no incumbent. Parties stay out of primary until a winner is chosen, then they put their support fully behind the nominee.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

• Presidential races are much more competitive than House races, the winning margins are more narrow.

• Midterm Election is an election that occurs every two years in a non-presidential election year.– Turnout much lower– All Congressmen up for reelection (435 seats)– 1/3 of Senators up for reelection– President coattails not as great

Congressional Breakdown• Each state has 2 Senators• House seats set at 435– Number per state determined by population– Dispersion changes every 10 years with

National Census.– 1911 fixed the size at 435– reapportionment

• Florida has enjoyed the greatest jump in representation due to the last 3 counts.

DRAWING DISTRICTS• The State Legislature is responsible for

redrawing the district lines if the census causes a state to gain or lose a seat in the House (redistricting). Can also occur if there are population shifts in the state.

• Gerrymandering – boundaries drawn to favor one party (registered voters) resulting in odd-shaped districts. This is unconstitutional if it is based on race (Shaw v. Reno).

• Malapportionment- districts are drawn w/ very different populations. Illegal. Baker v Carr (1962), “one person-one vote”

GerrymanderingGerrymandering• Drawing of boundary lines for Drawing of boundary lines for

Congressional districts to obtain partisan Congressional districts to obtain partisan or factional advantageor factional advantage

• From Governor Gerry of MA in 1811, the From Governor Gerry of MA in 1811, the shape of his district looked like a shape of his district looked like a salamandersalamander

• Shaw v. Reno Shaw v. Reno (1993) (1993) racial gerrymandering racial gerrymandering unconstitutional, equal protection clause XIV unconstitutional, equal protection clause XIV AmendmentAmendment

• State Legislatures redraw districts after State Legislatures redraw districts after census (every ten years), sometimes add census (every ten years), sometimes add or lose Congressional districts based on or lose Congressional districts based on their statetheir state’’s population increases or s population increases or decreasesdecreases

• http://www.floridaredistricting.org/http://www.floridaredistricting.org/

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Nominating a President

• 1st Iowa Caucus – Party leaders meet to select candidate

• Caucus may pick more ideological candidates.

• 2nd New Hampshire Primary – Voters choose favorite candidate

• Almost all states have primaries

PARTY CONVENTION

• Party convention is where the candidate is officially nominated as presidential candidate for party.

• Every 4 years receive delegates to make it official.

• National chair- controls party convention.• Each convention sets party platform for

upcoming four years.

Campaigns

• Campaign is dominated by television. • Debates really don’t make a

difference unless a candidate really screws up.

• This is referred to as the gaffe problem

Participation in Participation in GovernmentGovernment

• ConventionalConventional - Relatively routine political - Relatively routine political behavior that uses institutional channels and behavior that uses institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture (voting, is acceptable to the dominant culture (voting, writing elected officials, political writing elected officials, political demonstrations - holding signs in protest, demonstrations - holding signs in protest, signing a petition)signing a petition)

• UnconventionalUnconventional - relatively uncommon - relatively uncommon political behavior that challenges or defies political behavior that challenges or defies established institutions and dominant norms established institutions and dominant norms (Boston Tea Party 1773, boycotting, occupying (Boston Tea Party 1773, boycotting, occupying buildings, locking arms to block, striking, buildings, locking arms to block, striking, 1968 Dem Convention, assembly of a militia 1968 Dem Convention, assembly of a militia group, suicide bombers)group, suicide bombers)

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Electoral College

• Winner take all in each state –the candidate who wins the popular vote wins all the electoral votes (Maine and Nebraska are the exceptions)

• You need a majority of electoral votes to win the presidency.

• Total electoral votes is 538, but 270 would be the majority.

• The electoral college vote makes the margin of victory seem larger than it really is.

No Electoral Winner

• 12th Amendment – creates separate elections for the president and vice president.

• If no candidate wins 270 votes– Presidential race goes to House, each state

gets a vote, 26 votes wins.– Vice President races goes to Senate, each

senator gets a vote, 51 votes wins.

Money in Electoral Campaigns

• President gets money from private and public funds.

• Congress gets private money.• Federal restrictions:– $2000 limit for individual contributions– $5000 limit for PACs

Political Action Committees (PACS)

• PAC Requirements• 1) At least 50 voluntary members• 2) Give to at least 5 federal

candidates• 3) limited to $5000 per election per

candidate.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

• 1974 FECA set limits on donations by individuals and groups

• Refer to the Table on p. 460• PACs were created to circumvent

this act

BCRA

• 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)– Banned soft money

*unlimited amounts of money that can be given to a political party so long as that candidate is not named. Sharply restricted independent expenditures- corporations, unions and other groups can’t advertise referring to a candidate by name 30 days before a primary and 60 days before a general election (struck down by SCOTUS in 2008)

RESULT – Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA)Act (BCRA)

• ““McCain-Feingold billMcCain-Feingold bill”” (2002) (2002)• Changed some parts in FECA 1974Changed some parts in FECA 1974• $2,100 (individual) to candidate for each election$2,100 (individual) to candidate for each election• $10,000 (individual) to state party or PAC$10,000 (individual) to state party or PAC• $26,700 (individual) to national party committee$26,700 (individual) to national party committee• Ban on soft $ - donations to party committees for Ban on soft $ - donations to party committees for

buying equipment, remodeling headquarters, buying equipment, remodeling headquarters, staffing regional offices, or get-out-the-vote staffing regional offices, or get-out-the-vote drives; not for a specific candidatedrives; not for a specific candidate

• Definition of hard $ - financial contributions Definition of hard $ - financial contributions given directly to a candidate running for officegiven directly to a candidate running for office

• Buckley v. ValeoBuckley v. Valeo (1976) (1976) individual candidate can individual candidate can spend unlimited amount on self campaignspend unlimited amount on self campaign

• Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) (2010) 22

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)• Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (FEC), 2010• Citizens United v. FEC (2010)• p. 459• Citizens United sought an injunction against the Federal Election

Commission in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the application of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) to its film Hillary: The Movie. The Movie expressed opinions about whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a good president.

• In an attempt to regulate "big money" campaign contributions, the BCRA applies a variety of restrictions to "electioneering communications." Section 203 of the BCRA prevents corporations or labor unions from funding such communication from their general treasuries. Sections 201 and 311 require the disclosure of donors to such communication and a disclaimer when the communication is not authorized by the candidate it intends to support.

• Citizens United argued that: 1) Section 203 violates the First Amendment on its face and when applied to The Movie and its related advertisements, and that 2) Sections 201 and 203 are also unconstitutional as applied to the circumstances.

Decision - Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

By a 5-to-4 vote along ideological lines, the majority held that under the First Amendment corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Justices Antonin G. Scalia, Samuel A. Alito, and Clarence Thomas. Justice John Paul Stevens dissented, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Sonia Sotamayor. The majority maintained that political speech is indispensable to a democracy, which is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation. The majority also held that the BCRA's disclosure requirements as applied to The Movie were constitutional, reasoning that disclosure is justified by a "governmental interest" in providing the "electorate with information" about election-related spending resources. The Court also upheld the disclosure requirements for political advertising sponsors and it upheld the ban on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions.

WHO WINS AND WHY

• The most recognized with the most money raised and is an incumbent wins.• Party affiliation still #1 reason why

you vote for someone.• Democrats have larger numbers,

should win, but Republicans have higher turnout and get more independent voters.

SOFT MONEY GROUPS

• TAX codes give these terms their names!

• 527 political committees• Definition? Examples?

• 501(c) groups• Definition? Examples?

Who Wins and Why?

• Party• State of the Economy• Candidate character• Incumbency

WHO DECIDES ELECTIONS?

• Party ID still #1• Democrats have more registered

voters• Republicans have higher turnout.• GOP does better among

independents• People change parties when their

interests change.

Prospective Voting• Prospective voters- used by

very few voters• These voters know the issues

and vote accordingly.• Most common among activists

and special interest groups.• Vote based upon what the

candidate pledges to do on an issue if elected

Retrospective Voting

• Practiced by most voters.• Decides most elections.• Judge the incumbent’s performance

and vote accordingly.• Usually helps the incumbent…unless

economy has gotten worse.• Midterm elections: voters turn

against president’s party.

The campaign

• Campaigns do make a difference.• They let voters see how candidates

handle and apply pressure.• They let voters judge candidates’

character and core values.• Campaigns emphasize themes over

details.

Finding a winning coalition

• Candidate/Party goal is to appeal to as many citizens as possible.

• Then you must get those voters to turnout and be loyal to you and your party.

Democratic Coalition

• Blacks most loyal.• Jews slipping in recent years.• Hispanics are mixed between

parties.• Catholics, southerners, and union

members are wavering with their loyalty.

Republican Coalition

• Party of business and professional people who are very loyal.

• Farmers are often Republican, but are changeable.

What decides elections?

• strength of economy.• popularity of candidate.• party loyalty and ideology.

• In Congressional campaigns:• District lines and who is included

and excluded in the district.

Do elections really make a difference?

• Policies do change as a result of electoral outcomes.

• However, separation of powers and checks-and-balances limits the impact of any single office or election.

Study Charts and Tables!• Figure 13.3 on p. 433• Table 13.1 p. 432• Figure 13.2 p. 426• Figure 13.1 p. 425• Thinking Globally p. 423• Table 13.2 p. 437• Analyzing Visuals p. 441• Thinking Globally p. 443• Figure 14.1 p. 456• Table 14.1 p. 460• Figure 14.2 p. 462