Description
When it comes to elections, campaigns matter. And despite the ever-increasing role of volunteers and amateurs, modern American political campaigns are a professional affair. Understanding how they are run and how campaign strategies are set requires an in-depth analysis of what political consultants do, from opposition research to public opinion polling and from directing media strategies to mobilzing voters--with fundraising a priority at all stages. At all levels of the electoral arena, modern, sophisticated campaigns cannot hope to be effective without the guiding disciplines of professional consultants.
This thoroughly updated edition of Dennis W. Johnson's classic text, originally titled No Place for Amateurs, highlights the growing importance of social media, targeting and analytics, Super PACs and dark money in a post-Citizens United world.
Table of Contents
Selected Contents: Part One: Professional Campaigning: New Realities, New Challenges 1. Political Consultants and Professionally Driven Campaigns 2. Runnin for Office: Not for the Faint of Heart 3. Case Study: Challenging an Incumbent U.S. Senator: The Realities of a Tough, Hard-Fought, Professional Campaign Part Two: Weapons of Modern Campaigning 4. Political Research: Digging Up the Dirt 5. Testing Public Opinion 6. The Media: Old and New 7. Reaching Out to Voters 8. The Money Chase Part Three: Wider Reach of Political Consulting 9. Ballot Issues, Local Elections, and Consultants 10. Citizens, Voters, and Democratic Choice
