January 21, 2010, 01:02 PM

In a much-anticipated decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court virtually gutted an important section of campaign finance law that prohibited corporate spending in elections.

Politicians, campaign finance lawyers and politicos had been waiting for the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision since it was reargued before the Court in early October with either great anticipation or great fear – depending on what side of the issue they were on. In a five-to-four decision on Thursday, the Court said the government cannot restrict corporate and union spending on ads and other election communications that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate in the days leading up to an election.

March 15, 2010, 12:12 AM

One of the lessons that Republicans and Democrats alike were reminded of in Scott Brown’s surprise victory in the special election in Massachusetts is that campaigns do matter.

While it’s been hard to miss now-Sen. Brown on television since his win, not much has been heard from campaign manager, Beth Lindstrom. She did sit down with Paul Fitzgerald for an interview in her hometown of Groton, Mass. Paul Fitzgerald, the host of GRTC-TV and the chair of the Groton Republican Town Committee, forwarded us clips of the interview, and we’ll pass them on to you.

February 08, 2010, 11:13 AM

In the unlikely event that you haven’t yet seen it, California Republican Carly Fiorina’s Senate campaign released a curious three and a half minute web video last week. It takes aim at her GOP primary opponent Tom Campbell, calling him a “fiscal conservative in name only.”

The video has all your standard attack ad elements—sheep falling from pillars in the sky after an ominous lightening strike, not to mention the guy in a sheep suit complete with glowing red Demon eyes. Ok, so the ad is just a bit outside the box. But so is the man who made it—Republican ad guru Fred Davis.

February 22, 2010, 04:24 PM

How much of a factor will conservative candidates and activists be in Republican primaries this year? We may need to look no farther than 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain’s home state of Arizona. With former congressman and radio talk show host J.D. Hayworth primed to make a spirited and competitive run against the Democrats’ favorite Republican senator, and the state’s new tax-raising GOP governor already trailing conservative state Treasurer Dean Martin in early polling, the August 24 primary is already becoming very interesting.

January 20, 2010, 12:31 PM

Last night's special election in Massachusetts was a huge win for Scott Brown and Republicans and we have a lot to learn from the election about the way that the winning coalition is shifting and how we can tap into populist sentiment nationwide.
 
While fully understanding what happened and how we can use the lessons from Massachusetts around the country will take time, here are five lessons from Massachusetts in the form of more-or-less famous quotes.

March 04, 2010, 10:13 AM

Political attacks are difficult to design and it's often impossible to avoid leaving finger prints – or traces of napalm - on the perpetrator himself. Case in point: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who stepped into napalm strength quicksand with a recent string of attacks on Republican Sue Lowden, his strongest potential challenger. Now, Reid’s clumsy attacks have him in danger of being tagged a hypocrite.

February 24, 2010, 03:01 PM

Reaching voters has always been a key challenge for campaign professionals, both in the United States and abroad. This was particularly true after recent electoral reform in Mexico, which placed more restrictive financial caps for campaigns and made airing television and radio advertisements more difficult.

A recent joint Campaigns & Elections’ Politics magazine - The Graduate School of Political Management of The George Washington University training session shed new light on how successful candidates, including President Obama, have used direct contact techniques to connect with voters. Such techniques include the use of social media, cell phones and other technological tools, and land campaigning. More than 200 attended sessions geared toward using new technology for successful campaigning.