NEWS & ANALYSIS: September 14, 2011
CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS WEB EXCLUSIVES
Hispanics Have a Choice; GOP Campaigns Don't
By Hector Barajas
As the presidential campaign begins to take shape, one of the most frequent questions I get from consultants and IE groups is this: What's the absolute cut-off date to begin a Hispanic-voter outreach program? If you really have to ask, you're probably too late. Read the full article.
Dems Need to Earn the Hispanic Vote Every 2 Years
By Simon Rosenberg and Alicia Menendez
The rapid growth of the U.S. Hispanic community is perhaps the most important American demographic story of the 21st century. Democrats enter the 2012 elections with residual strength in this community, but as history has proved, that allegiance can shift. Read the full article.
 | | Bob Turner and Mark Amodei | CAMPAIGNING
Has the GOP Broken
a Special-Election Curse?
After losing 23 of 34 congressional special elections going back to 2003, the Republican Party put two big wins on the board with Tuesday's victories by Bob Turner in New York's 9th District and Mark Amodei in Nevada's 2nd. The GOP wins leave the Democrats at a political low point as the party gears up for 2012.
>> Politico
Consumer Advocate's Candidacy Buoys Democrats
While today's entry into Massachusetts' U.S. Senate race by consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren is no surprise, it's likely to hearten Democrats who see her as one of the party's best chances of unseating Republican Scott Brown.
>> Huffington Post
One Route to Winning Statewide: Losing
Might the best way to win a statewide race be losing one? It's counterintuitive. But it sometimes seems that for every candidate who is never heard from again, there's another who puts together a victory the next time out.
>> Governing
TECHNOLOGY
The Thou-Shalts of Social Media
Social media will never win a campaign, but a campaign cannot win without social media, writes consultant Beth Becker, sharing best practices that she calls the "10 commandments of social media."
>> e.politics
PEOPLE
A Job-Stimulus Program that's Working: Politics
Most Republican political operatives argue that President Obama's jobs agenda is a flop. But even as the rest of the nation grapples with stagnant job growth, political professionals are enjoying unusual prosperity. By some estimates, total campaign spending in 2012 could hit $5 billion to $7 billion.
>> Roll Call
American Crossroads Gets a Big Barbour Boost
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's decision to help American Crossroad's fundraising efforts is a major boost to the already cash-flush Republican group.
>> Roll Call
Ex-Democratic Duo's Goal: Party Irrelevance
Democratic politics may be in their blood, but Nathan Daschle and Ray Glendening are launching an online organizing tool they hope will push both parties to functional irrelevance.
>> Rothenberg Political Report
 | | Mitt Romney and Rick Perry | THE PRESIDENCY
Perry: Romney's Best Ally?
Rick Perry has cost Mitt Romney his lead in the polls but made Romney a better candidate and, potentially, a more formidable Republican presidential nominee. As Monday's GOP debate illustrated, the former Massachusetts governor is showing a spark that seemed elusive when he topped the national polls.
>> National Journal
Will the Economy Be Obama's Undoing?
Elected Democrats and party leaders at all levels, saying their worries about President Obama's re-election prospects have intensified as the economy has displayed new signs of weakness, are openly acknowledging their anxiety.
>> New York Times
The Presidential Math that Matters Most
Straw polls, caucuses, primaries? Behind the scenes, strategists for President Obama and his major Republican opponents are already focused like a laser on the math that matters most: that of the Electoral College.
>> University of Virginia Center for Politics
 | | Dianne Feinstein | THE LOCAL SCENE
Senator: Re-Election Fund 'Wiped Out'
by Arrested Campaign Treasurer
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said her re-election campaign fund was among those that were "wiped out" by Kinde Durkee, a California Democratic political operative who served as treasurer for hundreds of state, local and federal campaign committees and was arrested by the FBI on fraud charges.
>> Politico
VOTING
Will Budget Cuts Mean Ugly Voting?
As states and localities struggle with decreased revenue, elections offices haven't been spared from budget cuts. State and local elections officials say they're anxious about an almost inevitable increase in problems at the polls during the Nov. 6, 2012, presidential election.
>> Governing
All-Mail Voting Brings No Turnout Boost
When King County, Wash., shifted to an all-mail voting system in 2009, it was supposed to increase voter participation. But turnout was about the same in two comparable general elections before and one after the county implemented vote-by-mail.
>> Seattle Times
 | | Christine Quinn | THE LOCAL SCENE
New York Mayoral Contender
Hires Obama's Pollster
Preparing for her expected 2013 mayoral bid, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn added a big political name to her campaign team: Joel Benenson, the pollster for President Obama. Benenson has worked for many local Democrats, including former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who had been expected to be the mayoral frontrunner before his downfall.
>> New York Times
Original content copyright 2011 Campaigns & Elections |
CampaignTech Conference
Nov. 10-11, 2011 | Washington, D.C.
www.campaigntechconference.com
The worlds of techno-powered politics, campaigning and advocacy converge at Campaigns & Elections' CampaignTech 2011. Hands-on training, workshops, roundtables and panel discussions will enhance your knowledge of practical politics, refine your digital communications skills and inspire you to exceed your campaign goals this election season.
IN THE MAGAZINE
The Era of
the Super PACs
In the current issue, Josh Boak looks at how Super PACs are shifting the way consultants are approaching their trade, Shane D'Aprile talks with Facebook's new Capitol Hill lobbyist, former White House policy staffer Joel Kaplan, and John Zogby explores how successful campaigns are moving to microtargeting.
QUOTABLE
 | | Alec Baldwin | "What's the reality of the city unions, of contracts, agreements, teachers, infrastructure, decentralizing, everything?"
"30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin, saying he probably will run for mayor of New York City but will sit out the 2013 race because he needs to finish work on the show and to educate himself about the mayor's office by enrolling in a university master's-degree program in politics and government
>> New York Times
"I believe that you can do anything with power and knowledge."
Eakpot Nimkulrat, a neurologist from Thailand who at age 43 is seeking a master's degree in public service from the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Ark., and who says he wants to become his country's prime minister
>> Reuters
 | | Scott Walker | "My thought is, you start out with small things, you build trust, you move forward, you keep working on things and you try and pick as many things that are things that people can clearly work together on."
Wisconsin's Republican governor, Scott Walker, who in the wake of the state's bruising partisan fights over public workers' collective-bargaining rights now says he wants to meet with Democrats and find shared agenda items--an invitation that has been met with polite acceptance and deep skepticism
>> New York Times
DATAPOINTS
Nearly 5,400
Number of congressional staffers who have left Capitol Hill to become federal lobbyists in the past 10 years, while nearly 400 lawmakers have made the jump to lobbying, according to LegiStorm
>> Washington Post
$328 million
Amount that political action committees registered with the Federal Election Commission reported raising in the first six months of this year, a 20.7 percent increase over the same period in 2007, the first six months of the last presidential-election cycle
>> Federal Election Commission
 | | Jack Evans | $135,897
Amount that Washington, D.C., city council member Jack Evans has paid for professional sports tickets over the past decade using money from his constituent-services fund, renewing calls for tighter restrictions on the accounts that allow city politicians to raise money to help constituents--spending defended by Evans, who says he has bought tickets to help local sports franchises and gives most of them away residents, schools and charities in his ward
>> Washington Post
11%
Percentage of Americans who now say they are "basically content" with the federal government, down from 22 percent last winter, while 86 percent say they are frustrated or angry with Washington, according to an August poll
>> Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
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