POLS 125 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Congressional Elections: Republican National Committee, Issue Advocacy Ads, Campaign Finance In The United States
22 Mar 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Political parties have one overriding goal, which is to elect their candidates to political office: policy goals are secondary to winning control. During the golden age of political parties, they dominated elections in many parts of the country and were the medium through which campaigns were waged. Most state and local party organizations were relegated to the periphery by the 1950s. The republican and democratic national party organizations in dc began to adapt to the contemporary system in the late 70s and early 80s. National parties began using issue advocacy advertising in the 1990s, finance with soft money: these outside campaigns comprised millions of dollars of spending. National party organizations have reduced lengthy issue handbooks, white papers and talking points for candidates to discuss national issues and explain how to use rhetoric and statistics. Overriding national events can trump local considerations, like the great depression in 1932 and watergate in 1974.
