Table Of ContentNew Directions in Campaigns and
Elections
The ground upon which campaigns and elections are contested has been shift-
ing rapidly in the last decade. Radical and ongoing changes to the way elec-
tions are administered and campaigns are financed; new approaches to
polling, campaign management and advertising, and voter mobilization; and
recent developments in the organization of political parties and interest
groups, the operation of the media, and the behavior of voters require close
examination. New Directions in Campaigns and Elections guides students
through the tangle of recent developments in real-w orld politics, drawing on
the insights of innovative scholarship on these topics.
More than any other aspects of American politics, campaigns and elections
have been affected—in many cases transformed—by new communication
technologies, a recurring theme throughout the volume. This tightly organ-
ized collection of original contributions raises important normative questions,
grounds students’ thinking in cutting-e dge empirical research, and balances
applied politics with scholarly insights. Like other volumes in the New Direc
tions in American Politics series, the focused exploration of the latest develop-
ments across a comprehensive range of topics makes this an ideal companion
for students eager to understand the rapidly changing political environment
of the U.S. electoral process.
Stephen K. Medvic is associate professor of government at Franklin and Mar-
shall College. He is the author of Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional
Elections and the textbook Campaigns and Elections: Players and Processes, as
well as co- editor of Shades of Gray: Perspectives on Campaign Ethics.
New Directions in American Politics
The Routledge series New Directions in American Politics is composed of con-
tributed volumes covering key areas of study in the field of American politics
and government. Each title provides a state-o f-the-a rt overview of current
trends in its respective subfield, with an eye toward cutting- edge research
accessible to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students.
While the volumes touch on the main topics of relevant study, they are not
meant to cover the “nuts and bolts” of the subject. Rather, they engage readers
in the most recent scholarship, real-w orld controversies, and theoretical
debates with the aim of getting students excited about the same issues that
animate scholars.
Titles in the Series:
New Directions in American Political Parties
Edited by Jeffrey M. Stonecash
New Directions in the American Presidency
Edited by Lori Cox Han
New Directions in Campaigns and Elections
Edited by Stephen K. Medvic
New Directions in Congressional Politics
Edited by Jamie Carson
New Directions in Public Opinion
Edited by Adam Berinsky
New Directions in
Campaigns and Elections
Edited by Stephen K. Medvic
First published 2011
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
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© 2011 Taylor & Francis
The right of Stephen K. Medvic to be identified as the author
of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
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invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
New directions in campaigns and elections/edited by Stephen
K. Medvic.
p. cm. – (New directions in American politics)
1. Political campaigns–United States. 2. Elections–United
States. I. Medvic, Stephen K.
JK2281.N482 2011
324.70973–dc22 2010033282
ISBN 0-203-85299-0 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN13: 978-0-415-87882-1 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-87883-8 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-203-85299-6 (ebk)
For Laura,
With love and gratitude
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Preface xii
Notes on Contributors xv
1 Election Administration: Setting the Rules of the Game 1
THAD HALL AND M. KATHLEEN MOORE
2 Campaign Finance: Adapting to a Changing Regulatory
Environment 18
DAVID B. MAGLEBY
3 Polling: Innovations in Survey Research 39
BRIAN F. SCHAFFNER
4 Campaign Management and Organization: The Use
and Impact of Information and Communication
Technology 59
STEPHEN K. MEDVIC
5 Campaign Advertising: Reassessing the Impact of
Campaign Ads on Political Behavior 79
BRYCE CORRIGAN AND TED BRADER
6 Voter Mobilization: The Scientific Investigation of
Getting the Electorate to the Polls 98
ROBERT A. JACKSON
viii Contents
7 Political Parties: The Tensions Between Unified Party
Images and Localism 115
JEFFREY M. STONECASH
8 Interest Groups: Back to Basic Questions 129
CLYDE WILCOX
9 Media: The Complex Interplay of Old and New Forms 145
DIANA OWEN
10 Voting Behavior: Traditional Paradigms and
Contemporary Challenges 163
ANDREW DOWDLE, PEARL K. FORD, AND
TODD G. SHIELDS
11 Congressional Elections: Why Some Incumbent
Candidates Lose 183
JAMIE L. CARSON AND CARRIE P. EAVES
12 Presidential Elections: Campaigning within a Segmented
Electorate 200
SCOTT D. MCCLURG AND PHILIP HABEL
13 State and Local Elections: The Unique Character of
Sub- National Contests 221
TIMOTHY B. KREBS AND JONATHAN WINBURN
14 Election Reform: What Is Expected, and What Results? 238
TODD DONOVAN AND SHAUN BOWLER
Bibliography 259
Index 303
Figures
3.1 The increase in American adults living in a household
without a landline telephone 40
3.2 American households with access to the Internet 44
3.3 Comparison of YouGov/Polimetrix opt-i n panel with the
ANES and Pew election weekend survey 52
4.1 A candidate’s “issue” page 65
4.2 A negative auxiliary site 67
5.1 The level of political discussion left unexplained by
individual characteristics rises as election day draws near,
in close correspondence to the rise in campaign advertising
(2000 Presidential General Election) 92
5.2 The impact of advertising negativity on turnout depends
on when voters are exposed relative to making up their
minds about the candidates (2000 Presidential General
Election) 95
7.1 Correlation of Democratic presidential results, with results
in Senate (by state) and House (by district), 1900–2008 118
7.2 Presence of liberals, moderates, and conservatives in the
House Republican Party, 1900–2000 119
7.3 Average party unity score by party, Senate, 1900–2006 120
7.4 Average congressional party differences, 1900–2006 120
7.5 Percentage of voters identifying as Democrat or Republican,
including leaners, NES data, 1952–2008 124
10.1 Party identification, ideology, and party voting in presidential
elections 169
10.2 White southern Democratic vote for president 171
10.3 2008 Presidential vote by region 171
10.4 Percentage of Protestants voting for Democratic presidential
candidate 173
10.5 Gender composition of the 2008 presidential election 174
10.6 Race, ethnicity, and gender in the 2008 presidential electorate 175
10.7 Race and ethnic composition of the vote from 1998–2008 176
