204 CHAPTER 7|ELECTIONS
Democratic campaigns use sophisticated databases, combining voter registration
data with demographic information and even purchasing data to determine who
their potential supporters are and how best to reach them.^21
Today the Internet and social media sites play important roles in campaigns. In
part, these technologies help candidates to do things that they always have done,
such as recruiting supporters and informing them about a candidate’s appear-
ances and issue positions. Whereas previously this information might have been
disseminated using a phone bank, fl yers, or volunteers going door-to-door, now
candidates use e-mail, Twitter, Facebook updates, or similar tools. Social media
sites are especially useful for organizing large numbers of volunteers—in 2008,
for example, Barack Obama’s campaign ran extensive GOTV operations during
the nomination process and the general election using the Internet as the primary
point of contact between the campaign and the volunteers.
The Internet also enables candidates to do things that were impossible a gen-
eration ago. For example, many candidates prepare Internet-only campaign ads,
counting on media attention to spread the word about the ads’ content. Twitter
and other social media help candidates and their staff to instantly comment on
their opponent’s campaign or respond to similar attacks, or post campaign vid-
eos. While most of these eff orts have little long-term consequences—just as most
campaign advertising is ignored by most voters—there are examples of Internet-
based campaigning having a real eff ect on election outcomes. For example, during
the 2012 Republican primaries Texas governor Rick Perry’s gaff e during a debate,
in which he claimed that if elected he would abolish three Cabinet departments
but could only name two, became a popular video clip.^22 While Perry’s campaign
was in trouble before his performance spread across the Internet, the popular-
ity of the video contributed to his poor performance in Republican primaries and
caucuses.PROMISES AND PLATFORMS
Issues matter in American elections. A candidate’s issue positions help to mobi-
lize supporters and attract volunteers, activists, interest-group endorsements,
and contributions. Issue positions also define what government will seek to do
differently depending on who gets elected. Thus another important set of cam-
paign decisions involves the candidate’s campaign platform, which presents
his or her stances on issues and promises about how the candidate will act in
office.AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS
depend on thousands of paid and
volunteer staff. Here, workers for
Republican candidate Mitt Romney
contact potential supporters.