| January 5, 2011
Campaign 2010 lesson:
Smartphones=Smarter Voters
More than a quarter of American adults used their cellphones to learn about or participate in the 2010 midterm election campaign, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. The mobile political user group is younger, better off financially and better educated. And some 71 percent of cellphone owners say they voted in the 2010 election, compared with 64 percent of the full adult population.
>> Pew Research Center
Use of Social Media by Persuaders Expected to Skyrocket
Use of social media for public relations and public affairs purposes by communications-consulting firms has jumped 12-15 percent in the past year and will increase this year to an average of 42 percent, according to a new survey.
>> George Washington University
THE YEAR IN LISTS
The 10 Worst Campaign Decisions of 2010
They must have seemed like good ideas. But the candidates who made these decisions are surely kicking themselves.
>> Politico
Issues that Thudded at the Polls
They may have received intense media attention, but they underperformed with voters on Nov. 2.
>> Campaigns & Elections' Campaign Insider blog
The Biggest Money-in-Politics Stories
Record midterm election spending. A storm surge of outside money. The demise of self-funded political candidates.
>> OpenSecrets.org
Poll Results that Will Matter in 2011
What Americans think about health care, activist government, "isms," pistol-packing and more.
>> Pew Research Center
Tech Trends that Revolutionized Politics
Social-media polling, Facebook ads, online video, Twitter mania and the advent of the partisan app.
>> Social Times
Political Ads: The Best (and Worst)
Two top political journalists review the ones that helped, the ones that flopped and the ones that hurt their candidates more than they helped.
>> Politics Daily
... And 120 Seconds of the Most Memorable
Demon sheep, an Alaska spelling bee, California clones, Pennsylvania poop and the attack of the 50-foot Pelosi.
>> Roll Call
Damage Control on the Campaign Trail
Onto each campaign some rain must fall. When a South Carolina state lawmaker running for re-election was arrested on tax charges, he chose to address the controversy head-on, framing the tax issue as being one that millions of Americans face. He won by 28 points.
>> Campaigns & Elections' Campaign Insider blog
 | | Franklin-Hodge | The Future of Blue State Digital
Blue State Digital, perhaps best known for its role in the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, has been acquired by global communications giant WPP. Jascha Franklin-Hodge, a founding partner of Blue State Digital and the company's chief technology officer, talks about why it happened and what will happen now.
>> techPresident
Tea Party Group Hires Media Firm
Tea Party Patriots has hired a media firm. Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, which also works with the conservative Susan B. Anthony List and the Traditional Values Coalition, will be fielding policy-related press inquiries.
>> Congress.org
PACs a Lifeline for GOP Presidential Contenders
Six prominent Republicans considering challenging President Obama in 2012 have raised millions in political action committee accounts that allow them to get around federal limits on presidential fund-raising, using their PACS to pay for activities such as political consulting, staff and travel.
>> USA Today
FEC Penalties Plummeted in 2010
As outside spending on elections soared in 2010, the Federal Election Commission handed out some of the smallest penalties in its three-decade history. The agency levied less than $1 million in fines for 2010, compared to $6.7 million in 2006.
>> Center for Public Integrity
Original content copyright 2011 Campaigns & Elections |
FROM THE PUBLISHER
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EVENTS
The Art of Political Campaigning
Join us June 16-18 for three blockbuster days of practical panels, workshops and presentations that cover the full gamut of campaigning--from fund-raising to media production, opposition research to grass-roots organizing, campaign software to attack strategies and responses, candidate speeches and appearances to campaign management and legal compliance. More information.
THE MAGAZINE
And the Winners Are ...
Who's up? Who's down? In this month's issue, Campaigns & Elections presents its annual Scorecard, the definitive win/loss record for consulting firms and their clients. Meanwhile, The Influencers catalogs the states' most important opinion brokers, focusing this month on California. Plus: a guide to the leading academic programs in political campaign management.
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QUOTABLE
“We're not England.”
Texas state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, a Republican from San Antonio who once again is introducing legislation that would outlaw straight-ticket voting, referring to the British elections system while arguing that while straight-ticket voting helps parties build their bases, it skews elections and is bad for democracy
>> Dallas Morning News
DATAPOINT
Nearly $16,000
Amount in legal fees Alaska's Department of Law is seeking from Republican Joe Miller's campaign--the maximum amount the department says it is allowed to recover--over Miller's unsuccessful litigation challenging last November's U.S. Senate election, in which Miller was defeated by incumbent Lisa Murkowski's write-in campaign
>> AP/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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