174 PART Two • ThE PoliTiCs oF AmERiCAn DEmoCRACy
complex and more sophisticated with every election. Even with the most appealing of can-
didates, today’s campaigns require a strong organization with (1) expertise in political poll-
ing and marketing, (2) professional assistance in fund-raising and accounting, (3) financial
management, and (4) technological capabilities in every aspect of the campaign.The Changing Campaign. The goal is the same for all campaigns—to convince voters
to choose a candidate or a slate of candidates for office. In recent decades, the typical
campaign for high office has no longer been centered on the party but on the candidate.
The candidate-centered campaign emerged in response to changes in the electoral sys-
tem, the increased importance of television in campaigns, technological innovations such
as computers, and the increased cost of campaigning.
To run a successful and persuasive campaign, the candidate’s organization must be
able to raise funds for the effort, produce and pay for political commercials and advertis-
ing, and obtain coverage from the media. In addition, the organization needs to schedule
the candidate’s time effectively, convey the candidate’s position on the issues to the vot-
ers, and conduct research on the opposing candidate. Finally, the campaign must get the
voters to go to the polls. When party identification was greater among voters and before
the advent of television campaigning, a strong party organization at the local, state, or
national level could furnish most of the ser vices and expertise that the candidate needed.
Parties used their precinct organizations to distribute literature, register voters, and get out
the vote on Election Day. Less effort was spent on advertising each candidate’s positions
and character, because the party label presumably communicated that information to
many voters.
One of the reasons that campaigns no longer depend on parties is that fewer people
identify with them, as is evident from the increased number of political independents. In 1954,
fewer than 20 percent of adults identified
themselves as independents, whereas
today that share is about 40 percent.
The Professional Campaign.
Whether the candidate is running for
the state legislature, for the governor’s
office, for the U.S. Congress, or for the
presidency, every campaign has some
fundamental tasks to accomplish. Today,
in national elections, most of these tasks
are handled by paid professionals rather
than volunteers or amateur politicians.
The most sought-after and possi-
bly the most criticized campaign expert
is the political consultant, who, for
a large fee, takes charge of the can-
didate’s campaign. Paid political con-
sultants began to displace volunteer
campaign managers in the 1960s, about
the same time that television became a
force in campaigns. The paid consultant
devises a campaign strategy and theme,
oversees campaign advertising, and
plans media appearances. ConsultantsTwo of the best-known political consultants are Mary Matalin for the
Republicans and James Carville for the Democrats. They happen to be married to
each other. What functions do they perform? (Heather Wines/CBS via Getty Images)Political Consultant
A paid professional hired
to devise a campaign
strategy and manage a
campaign.Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.