ELECTIONS

Primary Elections  Help to decide who the party is going to nominate for office.  Closed primary- have to be a party member to vote for the candidate  Open primary/pick-a-party primary- voters choose which party primary they vote in.  Blanket primary- voters choose one candidate for each office from any party.  Nonpartisan primary- political parties do not play a role, i. e. school board elections, Denver mayoral election.

Colorado Caucus  During a primary, voters simply cast their ballot for a particular candidate. A caucus, on the other hand, is more of a party affair, sort of like a town hall meeting. Members gather and hear speeches and engage in discussion before voting for a candidate. The majority of candidates today are selected in primaries.  Colorado’s caucus will be February 7, 2012.

Joining the race  Self-announcement- person running for office announces they are running.  Exploratory committee- advisors who evaluate the chances of success if the candidate runs for office.  Draft- the supporters of the candidate “draft” him or her into the race.

Campaign management  Presidential election  Campaign manager  Public opinion pollster  Media consultant  Fundraising specialist  Accountants  Lawyers  Press secretary

Campaign Fundraising and Financing  Fundraising  “Dial for dollars”  Money bombs (online)  $1,000 a plate dinners  Direct mail campaigns  Helps to build the “war chest”  Two main strategies to guide campaign donations:  Electoral- donors us money to help elect candidates who support their views and to defeat those who do not.  Access- donors give money to the most likely winner in the race, regardless of party.

Campaign Fundraising and Financing  2000 election  $3 billion spent on campaigns in the United States. House of Representatives- $500,000 Senate- $4.5 million

Campaign Fundraising and Financing YearTotal 2008$1,748.8 million 2004$880.5 million 2000$528.9 million 1996$425.7 million 1992$331.1 million 1988$324.4 million 1984$202.0 million 1980$161.9 million 1976$171.0 million YearTotal 2008$ million 2004$717.9 million 2000$343.1 million 1996$239.9 million 1992$192.2 million 1988$210.7 million 1984$103.6 million 1980$92.3 million 1976$66.9 million Total Contributions to Presidential Candidates Total Spending by Presidential Candidates

Where does the $$$ come from??  Individual donors  Small $  Large $2,300 per each election (primary and general)  Candidate  Personal assets or loans, unlimited by law  Political Party  PACs (formed by corporations, interest groups and labor unions)  Up to $5,000 per election (primary and general)

Campaign strategies  Have to decide what kind of tone the election will have  Positive or negative- how much time and money should be spent on stressing the positive about the campaign, and how much should be spent criticizing opponents.  Theme or slogan  Targeting  Specific groups of voters