Campaigns & Elections articles from June 2005

Campaigns & Elections archives from June 2005

The Republicans' Senate edge.(ON THE RECORD)
June 1, 2005... Looking ahead to 2006, our first stop is the U.S. Senate, where Democrats dream of ending GOP control. Picking up enough seats to shift party control remains a long shot. Republicans now hold 55 Senate seats, requiring Democrats to win a...

Stopping the piggy bank donors.(political contributions from children banned)
June 1, 2005... If other states' lawmakers take a lesson from Ohio, the 6-year-old who raises money from a bake sale can no longer give it to candidates. Part of Ohio's new campaign finance law, which took effect in March, prohibits children younger than...

Enjoying the wince factor.(INSIDE POLITICS)
June 1, 2005... Let's face it; we've all done our share of rubbernecking, creeping by a car accident to see what happened--and to heave an inward sigh of relief that it didn't happen to us. That's the feeling people in the political consulting business...

Strong black candidates emerging.(INSIDE POLITICS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A large number of African American candidates for statewide offices are heading to the starting gate for the 2006 elections. Currently, there are at least nine possible or certain African Americans in campaigns for governor or U.S. Senate who...

New firms.(PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS)(Jon Anderson forms Mad Dog Mail, Inc)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NEW FIRMS: Jon Anderson formed Mad Dog Mail, Inc., a Democratic direct mail consulting firm based in Marrieta, Ga. Anderson was formerly a vice president at Malchow Schlackman Hoppey & Cooper, the Democratic direct mail firm in Washington. ...

New jobs.(PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS)
June 1, 2005... NEW JOBS: Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman elected governor in New Hampshire, becomes head of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, beginning July 1. Shaheen succeeds interim director Philip...

New jobs.(PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS)(North Carolina Democratic Party appointed Caroline Valand as executive director)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NEW JOBS: North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek named Caroline Valand executive director, replacing Scott Falmlen, who left after five years in the position. Since 2001, Valand has served as political director of the...

Movers & shakers.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... BUD JACKSON Principal of the Jackson Group, a national communications and political media consulting firm based in Alexandria, Va. Jackson has worked for private companies and political candidates running for nearly every level of public...

Movers & shakers.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... PATRICK SLEVIN Founder and president of the Slevin Group, Inc., a public relations firm in Tallahassee, Fla. Slevin previously served as southeast regional media manager for the National Federation of Independent Business, national public...

Rahm Emanuel's vision: Democrats aim for a House majority in 2006.(FEATURE)
June 1, 2005... The setting is the Democratic National Committee, where one of the odder political fund-raising events you will see is rocking. One by one the Democrats' most vulnerable House incumbents are grabbing a microphone, but instead of giving a stump...

Losing by a hair: some narrowly defeated candidates battle on in the courts; others live to fight another day.(FEATURE)
June 1, 2005... Deep into Election Night 2002, South Dakota Republican U.S. Rep. John Thune looked to be winner of a knockdown, drag-out political brawl with Democratic U.S.Sen. Tim Johnson. The race had been the most closely watched of the cycle, and...

A political junkie's sancutary.(FEATURE)(political television and radio advertisements)
June 1, 2005... NORMAN, OKLA. -- The Swift Boat veterans are here. So are Fidel Castro, Willie Horton and an animated elephant sporting an "I like Ike" banner on its tail. What brings this unusual assembly to Oklahoma is posterity. They're all resting in...

Seminar agenda.(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... THURSDAY, JUNE 16 12:00pm-1:00pm Registration/ Exhibit Hall Opens 1:00pm-1:15pm Opening Remarks David Mark, Editor, Campaigns & Elections 1:15pm-2:30pm Climbing Mt. Everest Is...

A memo to Karen Hughes.(CAMPAIGNLAND)
June 1, 2005... Congratulations on being designated the next undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. After your Senate confirmation (more on that below), you will be the point person for the most important campaign you will ever work on: the effort to...

Federal database rules leave room for interpretation.(VOTING MATTERS)
June 1, 2005... At first glance, the federal mandate directing states to create statewide voter registration databases looks concise and specific. A database, states the Help America Vote Act, often called HAVA, should be "uniform... interactive, computerized...

Harvesting the rural vote: the key to building a majority party.(OPINION)
June 1, 2005... From "Green Acres" to "The Beverly Hillbillies" to "Little House on the Prairie," the stereotype of rural life is etched into our brains. But the reality for campaign planners is this: 55 million Americans live and work in the vast majority of...

National political conventions: short-term spectacle or lasting legacy?(OPINION)
June 1, 2005... "No one's noticed, but the band's all packed and gone. Was it ever here at all?--J.P Barlow National political conventions are historic events that promise to generate economic and tourism benefits to their host communities. Almost a year...

Establishing a strategic online presence: what political campaigns can learn from nonprofit online organizing.(OPINION)
June 1, 2005... Like Columbus discovering a land already inhabited, political campaigns in 2004 stumbled upon a precious resource that has actually been utilized for the last decade: online activism. Now, as the 2006 cycle approaches, politicos are working to...

RON'S PICKS.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 1, 2005... 1776, by David McCullough, Simon and Schuster, 386 pages, $32.00. Looks at the sweep of events that created the American republic in the year of the Declaration of Independence. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who wrote "John Adams" and...

RON'S PICKS.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
June 1, 2005... One Soldier's Story, by Bob Dole, Harper Collins, 287 pages, $25.95. Tells the personal story of a young soldier from Russell, Kan., during World War II, who acted with great bravery and valor on the battlefield during the last days of the...

LOSING THE BATTLE, POSSIBLY WINNING THE WAR.(The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of How Democratic Operatives, Eccentric Billionaires, Liberal Activists, and Assorted Celebrities Tried to Bring Down a President--and Why They'll Try Even Harder Next Time)(Book Review)
June 1, 2005... Shortly after President Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide victory over U.S. Sen. George McGovern, film critic Pauline Kael of the New Yorker famously asked a friend, "How can this be? No one I know voted for Nixon." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

THE WIZARDS OF ADS.(evaluation of political campaigns)
June 1, 2005... "Though the talent of many media consultants is impressive, the mythology surrounding their abilities deserves a critical examination. As much as anything, Hollywood has contributed to this mythology. See for example, "The Candidate" (1972),...

Media placement.(Buyers Guide)
June 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. FLORIDA...

Negative ads and public financing: doctored pictures, and raising campaign cash online.(CAMPAIGN DOCTOR)
June 1, 2005... Is it OK to run negative ads if we accepted public financing? Going negative often backfires in multi-candidate races or if the message is unfair, hypocritical or a cheap shot. The risks are greater when a candidate has accepted public...

Off the record.(Mottos of United States and humor about polics)
June 1, 2005... "Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval ratings in California have gone down to Gray Davis levels. I saw a bumper sticker on the way to work today that said, 'Don't blame me, I voted for Gary Coleman.'" --Bill Maher A priest walked into a...