Electoral campaigns 315A candidate’s issue positions as described in his or her platform help mobilize
supporters and attract volunteers, activists, interest-group endorsements, and
contributions. Issue positions also define what government will do differently depending
on who gets elected. And as we will see later in this chapter, some people vote based on
candidates’ issue positions. Even so, there is considerable evidence that many voters do
not know much about candidates’ issue positions, particularly in House and Senate races.
As a result, when a candidate wins a race or a party wins seats across the country, it is risky
to read the outcome as a sign that the winners had the most popular set of issue positions.Campaign Staff Finally, candidates spend time before the campaign building their
organization.^27 Just like fund-raising, the success or failure of these efforts is a signal
of a candidate’s prospects. If experienced, well-respected people agree to work in a
candidate’s campaign, observers conclude that the candidate’s prospects for being
elected are probably good.
Skilled campaign consultants are among the most sought-after campaign staff.
These consultants plan strategies, run public-opinion polls, assemble ads and buy
television time, and talk with members of the media on the candidate’s behalf, among
other things. For many consultants, electioneering is a full-time, year-round position.
Many concentrate on electing candidates from one party, although some work for
whoever will hire them.
Almost all campaigns have paid and volunteer staff, ranging from the dozen or
so people who work for a typical House candidate to the thousands needed to run a
major-party candidate’s presidential campaign. Some campaign staff work full-time
for an incumbent’s campaign committee or are on the incumbent’s congressional
or presidential staff. With some exceptions for senior presidential staff, federal law
prohibits government employees from engaging in campaign activities during work
hours or with congressional resources.^28 As a result, many congressional or presidential
staffers take a leave of absence from their government jobs to work on their bosses’
reelection campaigns during the last few months of the election cycle, then return to
working for the government after the election—assuming the incumbent is reelected.
It’s hard to separate what candidates do at election time from what they do
between elections—incumbents are always campaigning, always making promisesMost officeholders are always
campaigning—traveling around
their states or districts, talking with
constituents, and explaining their
actions in office—all in the hope of
winning and keeping support for the
next election. Here, Representative
Marcia Fudge (D-OH) meets with
constituents before a Sunday service
in Cleveland.Full_10_APT_64431_ch09_296-339.indd 315 16/11/18 1:44 PM