Voted Best Web-Based Political Campaign Software 2 Years Running

Candidates Must Follow Logical Steps

Holly Robichaud

Every year campaigns start earlier and earlier.  The 2006 mid-term elections were not even over and we had presidential candidates crisscrossing the country meeting potential voters and donors.  The 2008 elections have already seen causalities. 

Senator John Kerry has apparently ended his chances of a comeback with a “botched” joke.  Sen. Evan Bayh announced the end of his candidacy. Others will fall by the wayside after the exploratory committee route they start with shows the route is closed. So it is not premature for many to think about running fo

Blueprint for an Insurgent Campaign

William S. Bike

Incumbents always have held an advantage in elections, but that advantage has now become practically insurmountable. Over 90 percent of incumbent Congressional candidates are re-elected every two years. Percentages among incumbents farther down on the ballot sometimes are even higher, as often nobody even bothers to run against incumbent State Senators, State Representatives, and City Councilmen. 

It would be good for everyone, however--even supporters of these incumbents--if competitive elections were restored. Because competitive elections make all candidates, even the winners,

Did You Win? Stop Celebrating. Time to Start Running for Re-Election

In most elections, incumbents have enormous advantages over challengers. Not only have they won election in the district before, and thus possess greater name ID, but they also have at their disposal all of the trappings of elected office: free mail to constituents, news coverage, patronage and increased fundraising ability. 

Despite all of these advantages, though, woe to any elected official who is seen as losing touch with the district. This warning applies not only to Congressmen, who can go to Washington and seem

How To Find & Mobilize Young Voters II

Rock The Vote

Studies show that contact from campaigns significantly increases a young person’s likelihood of turning out to vote on Election Day. Plus, it’s cost-efficient and easy to integrate with your overall campaign strategy.

• A door knock can boost turnout by about 8 points for about $25 per additional vote.(26)
• A live phone call increases turnout by 3-5 points for $20-26 per additional vote.(27)
• A text message increases turnout by 3-4 points and can be very inexpensive.(28)
• Multiple contacts from a campaign can increase turnout by 10-14 percentage points.(29)

Negative Campaigning

William S. Bike

Negative Campaigning 

Going negative is not a step to be taken lightly, although today more campaigns go negative more quickly than ever before.

Janice M. King, president of Janice King Communications, when discussing negative advertising in general, said that negative messages about competitors create FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt. You must consider seriously the implications of your candidate causing FUD and its resulting stresses on the political system.

Going Negative: Why and How

Campaigns & Elections reported th

Creating the Modern Campaign

Benjamin A. Katz

Ten years ago, there was a legitimate question of whether the Internet had a role to play in political campaigns. That question has been decided. The Internet is here. Nearly 80% of Americans use email. Over half of US homes have broadband connections and wireless access is common and growing. As for political campaigns, the Internet has been accepted. Asking if a campaign uses email is now nearly as absurd as asking if they use the telephone. The question is not if they're using the Internet, but what elements are they using, how much do they use it, and what's working for them? During the 20