1. The Structure of a Campaign
All political campaigns can be viewed as a series of several campaigns that run simultaneously.
The Nomination Campaign
The General Election Campaign
The Personal Campaign
The Organizational Campaign
The Media Campaign

2. Do we vote for the Candidate or the Campaign?
The most important factor in any campaign is the candidate (he/she is even more important than money).
Campaigns are able (most of the time) to downplay a candidate’s weaknesses and emphasize her strengths.
However, even the best campaigns cannot put an ineffective candidate in the win column – most of the time.
Most people vote for a candidate not the campaign.

3. Personal Contributions
Campaign Challenges
The News Media
Campaign Financing
Televised Debates
Individual
Contributions
Handling the Press?
PAC Contributions
Personal Contributions
Party Contributions

4. Contributions and Expenses
Campaigns are VERY expensive.
House races can cost over $1 million but usually cost $ ,000 for incumbents, less for challengers.
Senate races cost much more (over $12 mil. in CO)
All political money is regulated by the federal government under the Federal Elections Campaign Acts in the 1970s, and the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCFRA) of 2002

5. Campaign for the Senate, 2002

6. Soft Money
Soft money is money with no limits or rules that is raised and spent outside of federal election guidelines.
Soft money is often used to pay for ads that do not expressly advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate.
As long as these ads do not use the words "vote for", "elect", "vote against" or the like, ads can be paid for with unregulated soft money.
Many argue that the huge infusion of unregulated soft money has destroyed the federal campaign laws.

7. BCFRA - Individuals
BCFRA limits individuals to contributions of $2,000 per election, per candidate ($2,000 in the primary and another $2,000 in the general election).
Individuals may give a maximum of $95,000 in gifts to all candidates combined in any calendar year. Individuals may also give up to $25,000 to a party each year.

8. BCFRA - PACs
PACs may donate $5,000 per candidate, and $15,000 per party, per election.
There are over 4,000 PACs registered with the FEC.
PACs gave over $420 million of the $890 million raised by congressional candidates in 2002

9. BCFRA - Parties
Parties also donate money to candidates. The Republican and Democratic parties give 100s of millions to congressional candidates either directly ($10,000) or to local committees and advertising.
Wealthy members of Congress and state legislatures often also donate monies to candidates of their party.
Some members of Congress establish their own PACs to give money.

10. Personal Contributions
In Buckley v. Valeo (1976) the Supreme Court struck down limits on personal campaign spending.
Spending your own money on your campaign is a free speech right.
Steve Forbes, Ross Perot, Maria Cantwell and other wealthy Americans have taken advantage of their personal wealth in their quest for office.