If voters are to make intelligent judgments, they need information about the qualities of the candidates, the policies they propose, and the partisan labels they wear. Does our presidential electoral system encourage the most qualified candidates to run? Does it force them to discuss the most important issues, present feasible policy solutions, and talk candidly with the American people? Will the election results accurately reflect the opinions, interests, and needs of the population as a whole? This book addresses these questions, providing you with an informative guide to elections and democracy--using case studies, tables, and figures to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of U.S. presidential elections. You’ll also get insights on recent changes that have revolutionized electoral politics--from the flood of money to and from Super PACs to instantaneous communications to microtargeting of messaging.
Part I: THE ELECTORAL ARENA.
1. Presidential Selection: A Historical Overview.
2. Campaign Finance.
3. The Political Environment.
Part II: THE NOMINATION.
4. Party Rules and Their Impact: The Legal Environment.
5. Campaigning for the Nomination.
6. The Post-Primary, Election Campaign.
Part III: THE GENERAL ELECTION.
7. Strategy, Tactics, and Operations.
8. Media Politics.
Part IV: THE ELECTION.
9. Understanding Presidential Elections.
10. Reforming the Electoral System.
APPENDIX.
Results of Presidential Elections, 1900–2012.
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Stephen J. Wayne
Stephen Wayne is an Emeritus Professor of Government at Georgetown University. He is a Washington insider who has written many books and articles on the presidency and presidential elections. A frequent source for journalists covering American politics, he often appears on television and radio news programs, conducts seminars for senior federal executives and international visitors, and lectures at many universities in the United States and abroad.
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New! In this edition, leading scholar and Washington insider Stephen J. Wayne emphasizes the far-reaching changes in presidential electoral politics in recent years. These include the explosion of money from nonparty groups (Super PACs), experimental analytics, online and traditional polling and focus groups, digital campaigning, microtargeting and personalizing of messaging, and the use of digital data to revive grass-roots campaigning.
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New! All boxes, tables, and figures have been updated to include the 2012 nominations and election.
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New! The author offers insights into the impact of the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision on campaign finance and the demise of public funding.
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New! Coverage includes changes in the 2012 Republican nomination process as well as Obama’s use of the Internet in presidential campaigning.
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New! In this edition, you’ll get an inside look at the far-reaching changes in presidential electoral politics in recent years. These include the explosion of money from nonparty groups (Super PACs), experimental analytics, online and traditional polling and focus groups, digital campaigning, microtargeting and personalizing of messaging, and the use of digital data to revive grass-roots campaigning.
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New! All boxes, tables, and figures have been updated to include the 2012 nominations and election.
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New! The author reviews the impact of the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision on campaign finance, giving you insights into what happened--and why it matters. He also examines the demise of public funding.
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New! Coverage includes changes in the 2012 Republican nomination process as well as Obama’s use of the Internet in presidential campaigning.
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This edition updates and integrates the new political science literature on campaign finance, parties, presidential campaigning, and news media coverage as well as that on forecasting and analyzing the 2012 vote.
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Wayne discusses the continued polarity of the American polity and the strategies to capitalize on that fact to win elections.
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With its focus on the facts of how the presidential election system works and its summaries of the state of the art and science of presidential electoral politics today, this text is a must for any study of presidential elections.
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Boxes (e.g., "Notorious Negativity," "The Problems with Polls") highlight important aspects of the chapter material.
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"Where on the Web?" features provide lists of relevant websites for further exploration.
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Exercises at the end of each chapter suggest opportunities for students to further explore the issues presented in the chapter, whether through online research projects or involvement with the political process.
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This edition updates and integrates the new political science literature on campaign finance, parties, presidential campaigning, and news media coverage as well as that on forecasting and analyzing 2012 vote.
-
Wayne discusses the continued polarity of the American polity and the strategies to capitalize on that fact to win elections.
-
With its focus on the facts of how the presidential election system works and its summaries of the state of the art and science of presidential electoral politics today, this text is a must for any study of presidential elections.
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Boxes highlight important aspects of the chapter material. Topics include "The Iowa Caucus: How It Works," "Successes and Failures of Front-Runner Strategies," and "Notorious Negativity."
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"Where on the Web?" features provide lists of relevant websites for further exploration.