Suchergebnisse

Campaign costs have grown rapidly in recent years. This analysis considers the amount of money candidates allocated in running for the state legislature. What factors associated with candidates, districts, & states are responsible for variations in campaign costs? Of particular concern is the impact of campaign finance regulations. Are laws aimed at restricting contributions effective at reducing overall levels of campaign spending as is often assumed to be the case? This analysis examines spending by 3,253 state legislative candidates running in 27 states in the mid-1990s. A number of factors are found to influence campaign spending, although these effects often vary by type of candidate. In particular, contribution limits & public funding reduce spending for incumbents, while public funding leads to higher levels of challenger spending. Thus, campaign finance laws affect spending levels, but candidate- & district-level factors also have a large impact. Several of these findings have implications for understanding the role of money in elections & for anticipating the effects of possible reform measures. 4 Tables, 1 Appendix, 20 References. Adapted from the source document.

Recent studies suggest that campaign mobilization factors such as candidate spending and electoral competition play a substantial role in influencing voter participation in elections. This analysis focuses on the relative influence of these campaign effects along with a variety of contextual features on district-level turnout in state legislative elections. Models testing a variety of variables across seven states in 1994 point to the overwhelming influence of socioeconomic and political context, with campaign mobilization effects contributing a much smaller degree of explanatory power. While some mobilization factors (such as campaign spending) have the potential to exert a strong impact on turnout, factors beyond the control of candidate campaigns are responsible for much of the observed variation in turnout across state legislative districts.

Considers amount candidates typically provide, whether contributions constitute a significant proportion of total campaign resources; and characteristics of candidates, campaigns, and districts; cases of Illinois, Kansas, and Wyoming, during the 1986 and 1988 election cycles.

Compares spending strategies of candidates for state legislatures of Texas (1988) and Kansas (1992); resource allocation, factors influencing spending patterns, and outcomes of different strategies; US.