Money in Politics: Campaign Fundraising in the 2020 Presidential Election illustrates political fundraising’s importance in the 2020 presidential election from the party primaries through the General Election. Cayce Myers addresses how the role of corporate donations, individual contributors, and small donorship have become political talking points. Specific attention is given to the evolution of political fundraising, including a discussion regarding super-PACs, joint fundraising committees, and campaign committees. Myers explores how modern fundraising prowess serves as a barrier to successful entry into top tier candidacy but does not necessarily guarantee victory.
This study explores the fundamental differences between direct mail solicitation and personal-solicitation networks, and the influence of candidate resources in nomination campaigns. It is based on surveys and interviews with contributors and campaign fundraising professionals.
An effective president does so much more than raise funds and shake hands. Your institution's president is uniquely positioned to scan the horizon and help develop and communicate a vision of the future to prospective donors. In this book, Jim Langley, president and founder of Langley Innovations and past vice president for advancement at Georgetown University, contends that the president's primary role in fundraising is not to ask for money but to create the conditions that attract significant philanthropic investments. This book will offer a forward-thinking look at: How the president can take a lead role in defining the case for support and identifying inspiring projects defined by specific objectives rather than categories of institutional need How the president can define for donors the difference a philanthropic dollar makes in achieving key objectives The respective roles and responsibilities of the president, the vice president for advancement, and the board chair The president's specific role in donor stewardship, campaigns, piloting new models for fundraising, volunteer management, and asking How to onboard a new president in ways that strengthen rather than stall the work of fundraising "This is a treasure trove of great advice, forward-thinking reflections, and tough, but much needed questions. Jim Langley is a thought leader who understands not just the history of philanthropy and advancement but shines a light on where universities need to begin altering practices to thrive in this era of competing philanthropic interests." - Matthew T. Lambert, Vice President for University Advancement, William & Mary
Have you ever wondered why presidential candidates need money for their campaigns? How do they get the funds they need to succeed in politics? This book focuses on how and where presidential candidates obtain the money to help them run for the country's highest office. Readers will learn about the history of campaign fund-raising and discover how candidates in different time periods approached it. They'll also learn about historical events, including a recent Supreme Court decision, that changed the nature of fund-raising. Timelines, graphic organizers, and colorful photographs help students visualize the concepts, and sidebars provide additional information to enhance the main narrative.
The passage of Citizens United by the Supreme Court in 2010 sparked a renewed debate about campaign spending by large political action committees, or Super PACs. Its ruling said that it is okay for corporations and labor unions to spend as much as they want in advertising and other methods to convince people to vote for or against a candidate. This book provides a wide range of opinions on the issue. Includes primary and secondary sources from a variety of perspectives; eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and many others.
Recent presidents have responded to the evolving rules of the campaign finance system and the competitive electoral landscape by devoting substantial amounts of their most valuable resource—their time—to fundraising. In the follow-up to his 2012 book, The Rise of the President’s Permanent Campaign, Brendan Doherty argues that presidential fundraising is an underexamined tool of modern presidential leadership and should be viewed as an instrument of presidential power akin to signing statements, executive orders, public speeches, and veto threats. Presidents raise campaign cash for themselves and for their fellow party members in the hope of electoral gains that will reshuffle the governing deck in their favor, but acting as fundraiser in chief sparks a host of controversies. Based on an original dataset of 2,190 presidential fundraisers spanning more than four decades of presidents from Carter to Trump, Fundraiser in Chief is the first book-length work to analyze presidential fundraising in a systematic and comprehensive manner. Doherty draws on an unprecedented amount of empirical evidence to shed light on modern presidents’ fundraising priorities and strategies as they seek to move the country closer to their vision of a more perfect union. Fundraiser in Chief is a study of presidential resource allocation strategy: how much of their scarce time presidents devote to fundraising, for whom they do it, what priorities are illuminated by their efforts, how their fundraising strategies relate to the evolving campaign finance landscape, under what circumstances they fundraise behind closed doors, and the resulting controversies and implications for presidential leadership and the American political system. Doherty offers an argument about the incentives that drive presidents to fundraise so frequently while examining the controversial implications of their extensive efforts to raise campaign cash. He contends that rising campaign costs, limits on contributions to candidates and political parties, the inadequacy of the resources provided by the presidential public funding system, the specter of Super PACs raising funds in unlimited amounts, and fiercely competitive contests to control the White House, Congress, and governors’ offices across the country have all incentivized presidents to embrace their role as fundraiser in chief.
"This book will ground board members, presidents, vice presidents for advancement, deans and other critical stakeholders with an objective and comprehensive understanding of what it takes to achieve higher levels of success in a campaign."--Page 4 of cover.
