Campaigns & Elections articles from February 2005

Campaigns & Elections archives from February 2005

Consultants in the off-season.(Editor's Note)(Political consultants)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... In 2005 there will be some interesting political races to watch: gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, mayoral contests in New York City and Los Angeles, and local matches across the country. But the bulk of work for political...

2008: a Democratic Odyssey.(ON THE RECORD)(Presidential elections)
February 1, 2005... It has only been a few months since the last presidential election, but it is never too early to begin handicapping the next one. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Let us start with the Democrats, who face a complicated task. Before they can pick...

A-O, way to go, Ohio.(INSIDE POLITICS)(presidential election)
February 1, 2005... The pivotal role Ohio played in the 2004 presidential election is well established. What may be less known is the number of presidents who were born in the Buckeye State. Eight presidents hail from Ohio, more than any other state: William...

Corruption on the mind in New Jersey.(INSIDE POLITICS)
February 1, 2005... High tax rates still are the main concern for New Jersey voters, but the issue of political ethics is getting all the buzz in the Garden State's gubernatorial election season. New Jersey will hold its primary on June 7. Dick Codey (D)...

Republican National Committee (RNC).(NEW FIRMS)(Jim Dyke )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Veteran Republican communications strategist Jim Dyke left his position as communications director at the Republican National Committee (RNC) to start his own consulting firm, Jim Dyke & Associates. The firm will specialize in communications...

Dan Gerstein Consulting.(NEW FIRMS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Veteran Democratic politico Dan Gerstein has opened his own consulting firm. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The former communications director for U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., formed Dan Gerstein Consulting. It offers clients expertise in...

PersuasionPartners, Inc.(NEW FIRMS)(Darrin Schmitz)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... After serving as the executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin since January 2001, Darrin Schmitz left to start a political consulting firm. PersuasionPartners, Inc. will specialize in direct voter contact mail and...

Club for Growth.(NEW JOBS)(Patrick Toomey)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., is the new president of the Club for Growth, which backed him in last year's losing primary bid against U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Toomey replaces Stephen Moore, who now...

Fenn Communications Group.(NEW JOBS)(appointed Neil Kammerman )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Fenn Communications Group in Washington, D.C., has a new partner. Neil Kammerman joined the Democratic media firm after almost five years as a principal at Murphy Putnam Media. "[I decided to join Fenn Communications because of]...

The Markesan Group of Milwaukee, Wis.(NEW JOBS)(appointed Brian Fraley )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Markesan Group of Milwaukee, Wis., recruited Brian Fraley as a partner. Fraley said in his new job he intends to develop a strong health industry clientele base. Jim Villa and John Hiller formed the consulting firm, specializing in...

The Lukens Company.(NEW JOBS)(political services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... John Schaller has been promoted to vice president of political services at The Lukens Company after five years with the company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "John has been a leader in the expansion we've had. This promotion is a testament...

Castagnetti, Inc.(NEW JOBS)(Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti, Inc. appointed David Castagnetti)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... David Castagnetti, who ran congressional relations for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, has been named a partner at Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti, Inc. Castagnetti will contribute to the technology and trade division of the firm, which counts...

Stanley Phillips Bell.(NEW JOBS)(appointed Chris Bell )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Former Democratic Texas U.S. Rep. Chris Bell joined the new Houston law firm Stanley Phillips Bell. The firm's focus is civil litigation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bell served one term in the House and lost his seat in a Democratic...

Nebraska Republican Party.(PARTY LINES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Jessica Moenning has been named executive director for the Nebraska Republican Party, after running U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's successful campaign to represent Nebraska's First District. In the post, she said she plans to build a...

Iowa Democratic Party.(PARTY LINES)(appointed Sally Pederson )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson is the new head of the Iowa Democratic Party. Pederson, who received support from Gov. Tom Vilsack and state Senate Democratic Leader Michael Gronstall, said she looks forward to drawing in first-time voters and...

Republican Party of Wisconsin.(PARTY LINES)(appointed Rick Wiley as executive director )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Rick Wiley is the new executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Wiley previously served as the political director. In his new role Wiley is determined to maintain the largest grass-roots campaign in Wisconsin history, and to...

Erik Potholm.(MOVERS & SHAKERS)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... Partner at Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm (SRCP), a political media firm in Alexandria, Va. He specializes in developing communication strategies and producing advertising for Republican candidates, initiatives and referenda, Fortune 500...

Bill Zimmerman.(MOVERS & SHAKERS)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... Partner with Pacy Markman at Zimmerman & Markman, a political consulting and advertising firm in Santa Monica, Calif. The firm provides advertising services to public interest organizations, foundations, ballot initiatives and Democratic...

Off-season adventures: what political consultants do when the election season ends.(FEATURE)
February 1, 2005... Last November, barely 24 hours after John F. Kerry had conceded the presidential election to George W. Bush, the senator's chief strategist and message guru, Bob Shrum, ambled out of a post-mortem interview with reporters at the St. Regis Hotel...

Arnold takes on the gerrymander: after a status quo election in 2004, the governator calls for change.(FEATURE)
February 1, 2005... With 100 of 120 seats in the California legislature up for election last fall, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hoped to see at least some Democratic state lawmakers--whom he once called "girlie men"--replaced by fellow Republicans. Despite his...

Election preview 2005: the (not-so) off-year for mayoral races.(FEATURE)
February 1, 2005... After sustaining a political high for much of 2004, those who crave the adrenaline of campaign season may dread the election doldrums of an off year. But, before hibernating or withdrawing from the scene entirely, check out the election line-up...

The front line of politics: the Iraq elections.(CAMPAIGNLAND)
February 1, 2005... As part of the United States' plan for Iraq's transition to democracy, a 275-member national assembly is supposed to appoint a government and draft a constitution that goes to a national referendum on Oct. 15. After that, the country is slated...

More changes at the polls? State legislatures will consider successes and failures of Nov. 2.(VOTING MATTERS)
February 1, 2005... As state lawmakers around the country prepare for this year's legislative sessions, many will use the successes and snafus revealed on Election Day 2004 to make changes. Expect paper trails, extended voting periods, voter identification...

The art of political campaigning: 22nd annual campaign training seminar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON MARRIOTT HOTEL 1221 22ND STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC JUNE 16-18, 2005 UNITED AIRLINES is the official airline of the seminar. Call United 's toll-free number (1-800-521-4041) to book your reservations and receive special...

The winners and losers of 2004.(POLITICAL CONSULTANT WIN-LOSS RECORDS)
February 1, 2005... After each election cycle, Campaigns & Elections presents the win-loss records of political consultants across the nation. This is the supplement to the original Win-Loss records published in the December 2004/January 2005 issue. For...

Start Early. Be Real. Contrast Often. Win.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)(Political campaigns and Mitch Daniels)
February 1, 2005... Though Mitch Daniels had never run for public office before, the former head of the Office of Management and Budget knew that for his 2004 Indiana gubernatorial bid, he should run an aggressive and personal campaign. His theory was that much of...

The cost of forgetting.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)(Presidential elections)
February 1, 2005... There is an old saying about the Bourbon kings that goes, "they neither forget anything nor learn anything." Of the Democrats, it could be said, "they neither remember anything nor learn anything." For more than a half century polls have...

E-strategies that worked.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)(voter turnout)
February 1, 2005... There have been thousands of articles written, TV hours spent, and blog comments posted about what happened in the 2004 elections. But at the end of the day, what happened is very simple: The Republicans won and the Democrats lost. More "red"...

New campaign finance rules and the 2004 elections.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)
February 1, 2005... Much has already been written--some of it prematurely--about the impact of McCain-Feingold, based on the experience of the 2004 election. Here is a list of what we think are the real lessons learned. * Passion trumps law. National parties...

The right time for your opponent's wrongs.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)(John Thune and Tom Daschle )
February 1, 2005... John Thune is an honest, hardworking man who would fight for South Dakota, and Tom Daschle did not. This was the message that Thune's campaign crafted in their attempt to unseat Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle for the South Dakota Senate...

Shoe leather wins races.(Lessons Learned From the Past Election Cycle)(Democratic Party (United States))
February 1, 2005... The year 2004 was a bad one for the Democratic Party. Self pity aside, we lost nationally for two reasons; first even a bad message beats no message, and second, although Democrats had a better ground game than they did in 2000, the Republican...

Influencing the late deciding voter.(OPINION)
February 1, 2005... With a week to go in the campaign, a new tracking poll comes in from the field. Your candidate has 44 percent of the vote. Your opponent has 46 percent. Only 10 percent remain undecided. The election lies in their hands. Frantically, you...

Open the books: improving political action committees with full disclosure.(OPINION)
February 1, 2005... The Sarbanes-Oxley federal law passed in 2002 in response to a wave of corporate accounting scandals aimed to shine the light on how publicly held companies handled their money. And while political action committees (PACs) associated with...

Inside the revolution: the Ukraine story.(INTERNATIONAL POLITICS)(Contested elections)
February 1, 2005... It is not every day you get to work with genuine revolutionaries. But in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, our firm got that chance. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This past year, Aristotle International stepped into the maelstrom of...

His Excellency: George Washington.(RON'S PICKS: book)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
February 1, 2005... His Excellency: George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis, Knopf., 576 pages, $28.95. Explores the life of the first U.S. president from his early days in the military throughout the long, hard struggle of the American revolution, the eight...

Tommy the Cork: Washington's Ultimate Insider from Roosevelt to Reagan.(RON'S PICKS)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
February 1, 2005... Tommy the Cork: Washington's Ultimate Insider from Roosevelt to Reagan, by David McKean, Steerforth Press, 350 pages, $25.00. Traces the fascinating life of Thomas Corcoran, a clever lawyer and political mastermind who began his Washington...

The Roosevelts and the Royals: Franklin and Eleanor, the King and Queen of England and the Friendship that Changed History.(RON'S PICKS)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
February 1, 2005... The Roosevelts and the Royals: Franklin and Eleanor, the King and Queen of England and the Friendship that Changed History, by Will Swift, Wiley, 320 pages, $27.95. Looks at the relationship between FDR and the British royal family,...

Inside the presidential campaigns.(BOOKS)(Book Review)
February 1, 2005... On the campaign bus, inside headquarters and behind the scenes with the candidate; that is where Evan Thomas and a team Newsweek reporters, separate from the rest of the magazine staff, spent the 2004 presidential campaign. [ILLUSTRATION...

Grass-roots lobbying.(BUYER'S GUIDE)
February 1, 2005... All information was provided by the companies listed. They are responsible for its accuracy and completeness. For updates, see the Campaigns & Elections Web site at www.campaignline.com. Organized by major office location. KEY CODES...

Internet polling perils: wonky policy papers or concise slogans?(CAMPAIGN DOCTOR)
February 1, 2005... Several years ago I read that Internet polling was the wave of the future. What happened? I have not seen much in the way of progress. Internet polls often undercount older voters, rural residents and minorities; they also overcount young...

Off the record.
February 1, 2005... "A prominent Republican, Christine Todd Whitman, who resigned from Bush's cabinet, has written a new book criticizing the right wing's control over the Republican Party. It's called 'It's My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP.'...