Back in the Game: Political Party Campaigning in an Era of Reform

Notes

Notes Chapter oNe 1. One example of state party building made possible from Dean’s “Fifty State Strategy” was the case of the Mississippi Democratic Party. Resources from the DNC were allocated to the MDP for, among other things, hiring four additional staffers and staging campaign training events for candidates and campaign activists. According to MDP executive director Keelan Sanders (telephone interview, August 8, 2007, New Orleans, LA), these resources—especially the additional staffers—helped strengthen the state party in two ways. One, additional full-time staffers made it possible for the state party to engage in continuous electoral effort so that the party could “build up over the years.” In addition, since the DNC’s resources allowed the MDP to hire a communications director, the MDP would be better able to define itself to voters and to the media rather than letting Republicans define them. 2. For example, see Aldrich (1995), Frendreis and Gitelson (1996), and Herrnson (1988; 1986). 3. For example, see Bibby (2002) and Hogan (2002). 4. The two groups, as defined by Republican pollster Glen Bolger, are those who vote early and those vote on Election Day (quoted in Nordlinger 2003). 5. 533 U.S. 431 (2001). 6. 540 U.S. 93 (2003). 7. 424 U.S. 1 (1976). 8. Federal Election Commission Advisory Opinion 1995–25—RNC. 9. Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 551 U.S. ___ (2007). 10. McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U. S. 93 (2003). 11. An exception would be the case of a few small parties that seek only to influence the issue agenda (or perhaps influence the issue positions of the larger parties). 12. See for example Dwyre et al. (2007), Herrnson (2007b), Kolodny and Dwyre (2006), Malbin (2004), and Malbin, ed. (2006). 13. See for example Kolodny and Dulio (2003), La Raja and McGhee (2006), and La Raja and Pogoda (2000). Chapter tWo 1. Multicandidate committees are those with more than fifty contributors that have been registered for at least six months and (with the exception of state party committees) have made contributions to five or more federal candidates. 161 162 Notes to Chapter three 2. With increases for inflation, this limit has increased to $30,800 for the 2011–2012 election cycle (Federal Election Commission 2011). 3. The following data on national political party fundraising between 2000 and 2008 were compiled by the author from the Federal Election Commission. 4. Contributions from a single donor that amount to two hundred dollars or less in a calendar year are unitemized. 5. The one exception to the generally low reliance on individuals giving the maximum contribution is the DCCC in 2008 when it received 17 percent of its total funds from individuals giving the maximum contribution. 6. “Policy benefits” are benefits distributed specifically to one member’s district, more commonly known as pork barrel spending. 7. For a discussion of coordinated expenditures and independent expenditures, see Magleby et al. (2006), especially chapters 5–7. 8. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act attempted to prohibit political parties from making both coordinated and independent expenditures in the same race. This prohibition was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U. S. 93 (2003). Chapter three 1. In referring to strategic decisions, I mean the type of “situations in which individuals are aware that their actions affect one another.” Formal theorists would refer to these situations as games. See Gates and Humes (1997), 1. 2. This reason for national party transfers to state and local party organizations is akin to Herrnson’s (1988) discussion of party-coordinated expenditures as a means for strengthening the relationship between candidates and parties. Cotter and Bibby (1980) provide early empirical support for the increasing interdependence of state and national party organizations. Later, Huckshorn and colleagues (1986) describe the ongoing efforts of national party organizations to develop strong state and local party organizations. 3. United States Code, Title 2, Chapter 14, Subchapter 1, Section 441a (a) (4). See Federal Election Commission (2008). 4. This includes the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. 5. This includes the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 6. This includes the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. 7. Data on national party transfers to state and local party committees were gathered from the Federal Election Commission and then adjusted to constant 2008 dollars...