Chapter
9: Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns
Synopsis
The American electoral process has undergone
considerable change. Increasingly, election
campaigns have evolved from being party centered
to being candidate centered. Most candidates for major
office are nominated through a primary
election. To nominate a presidential candidate,
parties employ a mix of presidential primaries,
local caucuses, and party conventions. In seeking
election, an incumbent usually enjoys an
advantage over a challenger, especially in
elections to Congress, where challengers get far less
money from organized groups.
Campaign funds are perhaps the most vital campaign
resource. Campaign financing is now heavily regulated
by national and state governments. At the national
level, the Federal Election Commission enforces
limits on financial contributions and requires full
disclosure of campaign spending. It also administers
the public financing of presidential campaigns. Such
financing has affected campaigns by placing limits on
campaign costs, by helping to equalize the amounts
spent by major candidates in the general election, and
by increasing the candidate-centered orientation of
elections. Public funds are given to the candidate
rather than the political party represented by the
individual. Access to such funds has generally further
isolated the presidential campaign from congressional
campaigns. Candidates usually turn to pollsters or
political consultants to develop a strategy that mixes
party, issues, and images. The campaign message is
then disseminated via the mass media through new
coverage and advertising.
All seats in the House of Representative, one-third of
the Senate, and numerous state and local offices are
filled in general elections, which are held in
November in even-numbered years. The president is
elected indirectly through the electoral
college, in which each state has a number of
electors equal to the total of its senators and
representatives. Voters may vote either a straight
ticket, in which they choose only one party's
candidates for all offices, or they may vote a
split ticket by choosing candidates from
different parties.
Individual voting choices can be explained as products
of long-term forces, which operate over a series of
elections, and short-term forces, which are associated
with particular elections. Party identification is the
most important long-term force. The most important
short-term forces are candidates' attributes and
policy positions. Most studies of presidential
elections show that issues are less important than
either party identification or the candidate's image
when people cast their ballots.
Although the party affiliation of the candidates and
the party identification of the voters explain a good
deal of electoral behavior, party organizations are
not central to elections in American. Both major
parties fail to meet two of the four principles of
responsible government noted in Chapter 8. They do not
choose candidates according to party programs, and the
governing party cannot be held responsible at the next
election for executing its program because there is no
governing party when the president is of one
party and the Congress is controlled by the other.
Even though they do not satisfy all elements of the
majoritarian model, parties in the United States do
fit well into the pluralist model. They function as
giant interest groups themselves, and their
decentralized organization provides many opportunities
for other organized groups to back candidates that
favor their interests.
-
Return to Top
©1998 by Houghton Mifflin
Company. All rights reserved.
Synopsis
Crosstabs