Political Campaigning in the U.S.: Managing the Chaos

(Paperback)

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Political Campaigning in the U.S.: Managing the Chaos provides students with the latest insights into modern election campaign practices. It is premised on the idea that all Americans should understand how campaigns operatehow they collect information about voters, how they attempt to change what voters think about the candidates, and how they encourage voters to act in certain ways.

An electoral campaign is a chaotic, short-term operation that must adapt to a complicated political landscape as well as deep-seeded psychological forces outside of its control. The ads they air, the media they manage, the data they gather, the doors on which they knock, the phone calls they make, the posts they share all of these efforts can make small but measurable differences. Jones introduces students to the strategies and tools that campaigns employ in their attempt to win elections. It also uses academic research to assess which efforts are most promising for managing the chaos that is a modern campaign operation.

Reviews

Political Campaigning in the U.S.: Managing the Chaos offers a unique blend of scholarly analysis and practical insights into the world of U.S. electoral politics. It bridges the gap between political science research on electoral politics and the real-world practice of campaigning. -- Ryan LaRochelle, University of Maine
An accessible text explaining modern campaign techniques, illustrated with examples of the most recent U.S. campaigns. -- Annemarie Walter, University of Nottingham
[A] comprehensive look at the practice and tactics of American electoral campaigns, including an examination of the most current methods. -- Nicholas Goedert, Virginia Tech

Author Bio

David A. Jones is a professor of political science at James Madison University.