You are here

Congressional Elections
Share

Congressional Elections
Campaigning at Home and in Washington

Eighth Edition

Other Titles in:
Congress | Elections

December 2019 | 408 pages | CQ Press
“It is the gold standard for texts on congressional campaigns and elections.”

— Bruce A. Larson, Gettysburg College

In Congressional Elections: Campaigning at Home and in Washington authors Paul Herrnson and Costas Panagopoulos combine top-notch research with real-world politics as they argues that successful candidates run two campaigns: one for votes, the other for resources. Using campaign finance data, original survey research, and hundreds of interviews with candidates and political insiders, Herrnson and Panagopoulos look at how this dual strategy affects who wins and how it ultimately shapes the entire electoral system. The Eighth Edition considers the impact of the Internet and social media on campaigning in the 2018 elections; the growing influence of interest groups; and the influence of new voting methods on candidate, party, and voter mobilization tactics.
 
Tables and Figures
 
Preface
 
Authorship and Acknowledgments
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1 The Strategic Context
The Candidate-Centered Campaign

 
The Institutional Framework

 
Political Culture

 
Campaign Technology

 
The Political Setting

 
Recent Congressional Elections

 
 
Chapter 2 Candidates and Nominations
Strategic Ambition

 
Passing the Primary Test

 
Nominations, Elections, and Representation

 
The Senate

 
 
Chapter 3 The Anatomy of a Campaign
Campaign Organizations

 
Campaign Budgets

 
Senate Campaigns

 
 
Chapter 4 The Parties Campaign
National Agenda-Setting

 
National, Congressional, and Senatorial Campaign Committees

 
Strategy, Decision-Making, and Targeting

 
Campaign Contributions and Coordinated Expenditures

 
Campaign Services

 
Outside Campaigns

 
The Impact of Party Campaigning

 
 
Chapter 5 The Interests Campaign
Organizing for Electoral Influence

 
Strategy, Decision-Making, and Targeting

 
PAC Contributions

 
Campaign Services

 
Outside Campaigns

 
The Impact of Interest Group Activity

 
 
Chapter 6 The Campaign for Resources
Inequalities in Resources

 
House Incumbents

 
House Challengers

 
Candidates for House Open Seats

 
Senate Campaigns

 
Single-Candidate Super PACs and 501(c) Organizations

 
Female Candidates, Political Movements, and Campaign Fundraising

 
 
Chapter 7 Campaign Strategy
Voting Behavior

 
Voters and Campaign Strategy

 
Gauging Public Opinion

 
Voter Targeting

 
The Message

 
 
Chapter 8 Campaign Communications
Television Advertising

 
Radio Advertising

 
Newspaper Advertising

 
Direct Mail and Newsletters

 
Telephone Calls

 
Digital Advertising

 
Free Media

 
Attracting Coverage

 
Fieldwork

 
The Importance of Different Communications Techniques

 
Outside Campaigns

 
 
Chapter 9 Candidates, Campaigns, and Electoral Success
House Incumbent Campaigns

 
House Challenger Campaigns

 
House Open-Seat Campaigns

 
Senate Campaigns

 
Claiming Credit and Placing Blame

 
 
Chapter 10 Elections and Governance
The Permanent Campaign

 
A Decentralized Congress

 
Political Parties as Centralizing Agents

 
Responsiveness, Responsibility, and Public Policy

 
 
Chapter 11 Campaign Reform
The Case for Reform

 
Obstacles to Reform

 
The BCRA and the DISCLOSE Act

 
The NVRA and the HAVA

 
Some Ideas for Reform

 
 
Notes
Name Index

 
 
Index

"It is, in my view, the best of the congressional elections texts."

John Dinan
Wake Forest University

"In a few words: comprehensive, well-written, and timely. Herrnson was among the first to detect the role of the party-in-the-campaign centered in Washington, D.C., and the intervening years have proved him right."

John White
Catholic University of America

"This book is an excellent, engaging read in which students can learn a lot about the myths and realities of how congressional elections operate."

Ken Moffett
Southern Illinois University Evansville

Paul S. Herrnson

Costas Panagopoulos

Costas Panagopoulos is a visiting professor of Political Science and a fellow at the Center for the Study of American Politics at Yale University for the 2015-2016 academic year. He is also Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy and the graduate program in Elections and Campaign Management at Fordham University. A leading expert on campaigns and elections, voting behavior, media and public opinion, campaign strategy and campaign finance, Dr. Panagopoulos has published numerous book and dozens of articles, including A Citizens' Guide to U.S. Elections: Empowering Democracy in America ... More About Author

Kendall L. Bailey

Also available as a South Asia Edition.

Purchasing options

Please select a format:

ISBN: 9781544323084
$95.00

SAGE Knowledge is the ultimate social sciences digital library for students, researchers, and faculty. Hosting more than 4,400 titles, it includes an expansive range of SAGE eBook and eReference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more.

The platform allows researchers to cross-search and seamlessly access a wide breadth of must-have SAGE book and reference content from one source.