Overview

What do you do if you are running for office and all of a sudden, a flood of campaign attack ads inundates you from sources unknown, uncontrolled, and with seemingly unlimited funding? Even supportive ads from such sources of ""outside money"" can be problematic, as several Republican congressional candidates discovered the hard way during the ""Operation Breakout"" special interest campaign against President Clinton during the 1998 election and impeachment season. This book describes the nature and effect of such phenomena using never before available information based on field research in 16 competitive congressional races, elite interviews with candidates and founders, and a network of campaign consultants and professional staffers. These are the people who know the inside story of how campaigns really work - where the money comes from and how it is used to make an impact on election results.

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9780742500426

Table of Contents

Reviews

David Magleby has done a superlative job looking into the matter of outside money in political campaigns.--Ron Faucheux, editor-in-chief

David Magleby has done a superlative job looking into the matter of outside money in political campaigns. -- Ron Faucheux, editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections/Congressional Quarterly Outside Money challenges the candidate-centered and media-focused perspective on congressional elections and raises troubling questions about the adequacy of campaing communication and the robustness of democratic accountability. -- Thomas E. Mann, The Brookings Institution Outside Money provides the first systematic analysis, using case studies, of a hugely significant and deeply troubling trend in American elections. It is a first-rate piece of work. -- Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute An important and unique contribution to our knowledge of American elections. It should be read by anyone interested in campaigns and elections, interest group politics, and media and politics generally. -- James A. Thurber, American University Candidates, like myself, who have been involved with soft dollar contributions, find them a double-edged sword. Every one of those candidates will tell you where interest group electioneering really helped them and they were grateful for it, and where they wanted to slap those people sill and tell them to get out of their campaign. There is a real problem, in some cases, of being out of control of your own campaign. Do we let the tail wag the dog? That's a terrible situation for a candidate to face, and this book describes it perfectly. -- Lily Eskelsen, former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Una 2nd Congressional District Call this investigative scholarship. Professor Magleby's research shines a light into the dark corners of American politics, revealing ways that interest groups spend millions to influence elections, often out of public view. -- Brooks Jackson, CNN Correspondent Magleby and his colleagues have provided political scientists with an important glimpse into the broader scope of campaign activities that are often ignored in our explanations of electoral outcomes. He also convincingly argues that this development has implications for our representational system that are worth our attention. American Review Of Politics This edited volume provides insightful, in-depth analyses of seven competitive congressional races. Recommended at all levels. CHOICE

Author Information

David B. Magleby is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University.

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