Election Strategy 2016

The "Permanent Campaign" and the 2000 Election

Background

The results of the 2000 election could not have been closer. Albert Gore, Jr. won the popular vote over George W. Bush by a margin of 50,996,116 votes. Bush however, prevailed in the count that mattered, winning the electoral vote by the slender margin of 271 to 266. In Florida, the final tally was so close-2,911,872 for Bush to 2,910,942 for Gore-that "third" party candidates made the difference. The position of Reform party candidate Pat Buchanan's name on the "butterfly" ballot in Palm Beach County led Buchanan receiving at least 2,000 votes that were intended for Gore. Green party candidate Ralph Nader received 2 percent of the Florida ballots, or 97,419 votes.

Assignment

Imagine that you are the campaign manager and for either a Republican presidential or Democratic presidential candidate (Trump, Clinton, etc.). Your assignment is to develop and defend an electoral strategy for the 2016 national convention and presidential campaign. Your strategy and therefore primary goal is to decide which voters and which issues your candidate (and party) should target for the campaign in addition to other kinds of considerations you will have to grapple with. For instance, what will your candidate have to do to sustain strong support from the multiple wings of the Republican Party? Will your candidate have to be more "mainstream" and conservative to stand a chance, or will he/she pursue a strong "progressive" (liberal) vision for America?

You will be evaluated principally on your ability to explain how you would apply the key strategies and tactics of a primary and presidential campaign such as

A) solidifying support from your party's "natural" supporters (ex. minorities, women, unions for the Democrats; business interests, white males, religious conservatives for the Republicans, choosing the "right" Vice Presidential nominee for the Democrats)

B) portraying and "selling" the personality of your candidate

C) identifying issues and themes that will generate interest among the voters (ex. national security, Iraq, economic issues such as the "jobless recovery", the deficit, "outsourcing" of jobs, trade protectionism versus increased globalization, character and credibility of the candidates, the increasing costs health care, "wedge" issues such as the proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same- sex marriage, plus using "focus groups" and polls to determine which issues to emphasize, etc.)

D) demonstrating your understanding of the demographics of America (ex. race, gender, age, ethnicity, region, religion, etc.)

E) using the media to your advantage

F) explaining the role of the political parties in the electoral process

Your paper should average between 800 -1,000 words. You will then team up with any other people in the class who "managed the same candidate" and present your strategy to the class. If no one else used the same candidate then you will have to work on your own.  You will need to use visual aids to help explain your key strategies and tactics and how you expect them to work. Charts, graphs, etc are all usable.

A presentation by the you/ group will be required.  You may use power point/posters/etc. to demonstrate the strategy of you/group.