RECOMMENDED
READING LIST
On American
Political Campaigns, Political Consultants, and Political Communication
Category Guide:
* How-to: practical on how to run a campaign or some
element of grassroots politics
§ Original Research, theoretical: Original research
academic in nature. Although it may
look at actual events or phenomenon in American politics as case study,
conclusions are more esoteric or theoretical in nature.
¨ Purely Analytical: Focuses on real events or
phenomenon, but provides a detailed and systematic analysis of trends and
tendencies and the nature of relationships.
Judge Lawrence Grey
April 1999
Heath’s review: This is a fairly
decent text outlining the nuts-and-bolts of campaigning for a local/municipal
office. It addresses a number of
different issues including using direct mail, targeting and strategy, and
telephonic operations. This is a good
primer for the novice candidate or campaign manager.
The Campaign Manager: Running and
Winning Local Elections*
Catherine M.M. Shaw & Michael E. Holstein
August 1999
This book can be ordered on
BarnesandNoble.com
Heath’s review: Like the one above this is a good nuts-and-bolts text. This book is presented in more of a “workbook” format including several sample worksheets for voter targeting. This is also a good primer for the novice candidate or campaign manager.
The Road to Victory: The Complete Guide
to Winning Political* Campaigns-Local, State, and Federal
Ron Faucheux, Editor
January 1998
This book can be ordered on BarnesandNoble.com
Heath’s review: Although I haven’t had the opportunity to
read the entire publication, I have read excerpts and have the information to
be thorough and well written. In
addition, I have attended the Campaigns
& Elections training seminar hosted by Mr. Faucheux and know him to be
a very skilled and educated professional.
Mr. Faucheux is on the faculty of George
Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction,
and Democracy§
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
August 1993
This book can be ordered on
BarnesandNoble.com
Heath’s review: I first read this book in 1994 during my
undergraduate program when I used it as reference for my term paper on
persuasion and conflict communications.
Her work focuses primarily on the 1988 presidential campaign and more
specifically on the infamous “Revolving Door” ad produced by the Bush/Quayle
campaign criticizing Gov. Dukakis’ “soft on crime” stance resulting from Willie
Horton’s ill-fated furlough. She also
looks at Sen. Jesse Helms “black hands” ad targeted at his Democratic opponent
Harvey Gant; and ad that was criticized for obvious racial overtones. Rather than being a “how-to” on political
campaigns or political communications, this book addresses some of the broader
impacts of negative and misleading campaign ads on voter turnout and the
democratic process. Professor Jamieson
is the Dean of the Annenberg
School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and is
frequently used as an expert by the Federal
Elections Commission.
Going Negative: How Political
Advertisements Shrink and Polarize the Electorate§
Stephen Ansolabehere & Shanto
Iyengar
July 1997
This book can be ordered by BarnesandNoble.com
Heath’s review:
This is along the same stream of study as Prof. Jamieson’s work listed
above. The major differences come from
the research methodology and analysis of the nature of the difference, in terms
of electoral participation, of different types of negative ads. Whereas Prof. Jamieson uses two major case
studies as the basis for analysis and conclusions, Ansolabehere and Iyengar use
hypothetical testing (focus groups) in addition to case studies. Also, their conclusions are somewhat
different in so far as how they “type” or “classify” different negative
campaign techniques.
No Place for Amateurs: How Political Consultants Are
Reshaping American Democracy
Dennis W. Johnson
January 2000
Communication Consultants in Political Campaigns: Ballot
Box Warriors
Robert V. Friedenberg
December 1997
A New Kind of Party Animal: How The Young Are Redefining
Politics as Usual
Michele Mitchell
August 1999
Campaign Warriors: The Role of Political Consultants in
Elections
James A. Thurber & Candice J. Nelson, Editors
March 2000
Campaigns and Elections American Style
James A. Thurber & Candice J. Nelson, Editors
The New American Voter
Warren E. Miller & J. Merrill Shanks
August 1996