Running for president requires significant planning, campaigning, and fundraising. Candidates must first seek their party's nomination by campaigning in state primaries and caucuses to win delegates. The candidate with the most delegates at their party's convention will become the official nominee. They then campaign nationwide in the general election against the other party's nominee. Winning requires mobilizing supporters, projecting the right image through advertising and debates, and spending significant funds on polling, travel, and other expenses. If victorious, they take office in January after the November election.

1. Look Here

2. 
Declaring candidacy
Experience and background:
usually U.S. Congress or state
governor [exec. office], or war hero
 Party affiliation – major parties
have all the advantages
 Party will often indentify
members to run
 Base of party loyalists
 Party apparatus for support –
contacts, stumping and $$$$
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Canvassing

3. Campaigning
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Party nomination - First major goal – means
running against other members of the same party
 Speaking – message, recognition,
finding/portraying distinctives
 Looking for support from interested groups –
MONEY, public backing
 Fund raising – constantly [why?]
 Polling – likely voters, issue resonance
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Crisscrossing the country
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Hitting the big states
Not appearing to ignore the small ones

4. 
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A primary or caucus is a state-wide
election WITHIN the party
It determines which candidate the
state’s party members prefer to run for
president
It’s divisive – hurts party unity
Winning primaries = # delegates at the
national party convention – the one
with the most gets nominated as the
party candidate
Primaries are either open or closed:
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Open- voters may vote in either party
primary
Closed- voters may only vote in their party’s
primary [NC]
Increasingly, states are lining up near
the first of the year – it turns into a
horse race for delegates, recognition as
a “winner” and, thus, money

5. 
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Several members of the party will
declare
candidacy
and
begin
campaigns
First primaries will convince some to
drop out
Next primaries will weed out more
as they fail to win and lose support
and money. Most will “throw” their
support [$] to a surviving candidate
One candidate will have the most
party delegates by convention time
Party convention will formally
nominate
the
party’s
official
candidate for president.
The two party nominees will now
run against each other.
One wins the general election and
becomes President
Presidentelect
Democratic nominee
Republican
nominee

6. Big “group hug” to reestablish party unity
Writing the party platform [campaign format as well]
Formal nomination [already known from primaries]
Kick off of campaign against other party
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Advantages of the incumbent
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Already known with a track record
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Easier to raise $$ as contributors go with a “known winner”
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Biggest contributions from individuals and PACs - fundraising
organizations for business groups and unions
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Federal Election Commission limited campaign contributions
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) determined that campaign spending is a form of
speech, ∴ not subject to limitations
Soft money: funds that cannot be used for a specific, named campaign,
but can be used to support a party or attack the opposition. Ended
with McCain-Feingold in 2002 [Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act]

7. 
Mobilizing the party and voters
 Campaign staff of paid professionals and LOTS of unpaid volunteers
 Professional staff makes plans, formulates strategy and advises the
candidate [top people often end up in the administration]
 Volunteers man phones, stuff envelopes, put up posters, canvass
precincts and wards, etc.
 Canvassing: phone and door-to-door to elicit support, $$
contributions and “get out the vote”
 Lots of money needed for polling, advertising, mailing, travel, etc.
 Trend is that the candidate that spends the most wins. Remember
incumbent advantages?
 Polling: usually carried out by professional polling firms [expensive].
 Carefully constructed sample of ≅ 1500 people are asked questions ,
looking for… [sample includes most all demographics; accurate to ± 3
points]
 How people likely to vote [party faithful, 72 hr. undecideds, etc.]
 How candidate/party’s stand on issues resonates with potential voters

8. 
Projecting an image
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Nixon – Kennedy
debate
Many appearances and speeches – absolutely exhausting!
Focus on battleground states [polling indicates vote will be close,
esp. if state has a good chunk of electoral votes at stake]
Use of propaganda – images, catch phrases, etc. [“Hope,” “Yes we
can!” “Change” – just plain folks, name-calling “My opponent is
soft on crime!”]
Televised debates [began in 1960]. Many undecided voters will
choose candidate based on debate impressions of who “won”
Reminder: most of this is orchestrated and shaped by the campaign
staff
General Election
1st Tues. after first Mon. in November every four years
 News sources kinda hold off predictions until bulk of west coast votes are in
 270 electoral votes needed to win – results often come in late at night
 President-elect now has about 2 months to get his basic admin. together to
take office in Jan. - just no rest!
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