Roger Ailes on Political Media
A 1988 C&E interview with the one-time master of political media.
Campaign Insider
Can Romney claim a conservative win in New Hampshire?
by Chris Palko / Jan 10 2012
Mitt Romney’s expected win in New Hampshire Tuesday could enhance his conservative bona fides. That’s because the Granite State has seen a remarkable growth in Republican influence in the last couple years and is poised to increase its pull on the national scene.
Traditionally, South Carolina primary voters were regarded as the gatekeepers of the GOP’s leadership. Win over the Palmetto State and you can lead the Republican Party, the conventional wisdom went,
Gingrich unleashes on Romney in NH
by Shane D'Aprile / Jan 09 2012
MANCHESTER, N.H.—Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has complained for weeks about the barrage of negative ads aimed at his campaign, pledged Monday to turn up the heat on Mitt Romney.
At an afternoon campaign stop in Manchester, Gingrich said he’s proven that he has “broad shoulders” over the past three weeks, but acknowledged that his attempt to run a positive campaign hasn’t worked.
The lesson after Iowa, Gingrich said, is that
Final sprint caps unconventional NH campaign
by Shane D'Aprile / Jan 09 2012
KEENE, N.H.—Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is campaigning “the old fashioned way” in the Granite State with a focus on town hall and retail events at the heart of his final pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
“The national pundits come in and say, ‘Here’s the order of the universe,’” Huntsman told a crowd of a couple hundred at a town hall event at Keene State College Sunday night. “But then the
Launching your campaign blog the right way
by Andrew Clark / Jan 06 2012
Ignore your tech consultant. At the end of the day, not all campaigns will need a blog to help them win.
Creating a blog just to have one and then neglecting it could wind up hurting your campaign if readers see the blog as outdated, underwhelming or misinformed. You have to nurture a campaign blog if you want to reap the benefits.
If you decide to launch one and pledge to maintain
Iowa offers glimpse at new world of money and politics
by Matt Laslo / Jan 05 2012
Only around 125,000 voters caucused in Iowa Tuesday, but millions were subjected to a flurry of often blistering television ads leading up to caucus day.
Between the media spending from individual campaigns to the loads of spending from Super PACs, Iowa is just the beginning. This election cycle is the first presidential contest since the Supreme Court’s Citizen's United decision, which sparked the formation of a flurry of Super PACs expected to collectively
Iowa polling ensured few caucus surprises
by Stefan Hankin / Jan 04 2012
In the days leading up to caucus night, polls showed Mitt Romney as the likely winner in Iowa, though Rick Santorum was gaining steam and Ron Paul seemed poised for a strong showing.
By Wednesday morning, they were the top-three finishers respectively. But with only eight votes separating Romney and Santorum for first, the question remains: how accurate were the surveys of Iowa Republicans?
When it comes to horserace polling, presidential caucuses
Is Florida Romney's waiting room?
by Sean J. Miller / Jan 04 2012
Even before the caucuses were convened in Iowa, Mitt Romney’s campaign announced a new phase of its paid media effort in Florida. It was the latest indication that the top contender for the GOP nomination was already looking past the lead off state and toward the end of January when the real measure of his campaign will be taken.
New Hampshire, which votes Jan. 10, is widely considered a banked win
A Caucus Lesson: Quality Matters
by Shane D'Aprile / Jan 04 2012
Here’s one lesson from former Sen. Rick Santorum’s strong Iowa caucus showing: When it comes to retail campaign events, quality still matters.
It wasn’t just the sheer number of events Santorum held—381 across Iowa, by his own count—that helped him keep pace with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucus. It was the quality and substance of Santorum’s retail events that connected with voters and ultimately helped fuel his late surge,
Will retail campaigning win the day in Iowa?
by Matt Laslo / Jan 03 2012
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A cold and persistent wind cuts through most every piece of clothing people are wearing, but it doesn’t stop two dedicated volunteers from parking themselves outside a Mitt Romney rally to thank folks for coming out.
“Happy New Year,” one yells cheerily before offering his pitch: “Yard signs anybody?”
The two stacks of Romney yard signs that line the sidewalk aren’t a common sight in Iowa this time
The $26 million Republican air war
by Sarah Stone / Jan 02 2012
Presidential advertisers have spent a combined total of $26 million on advertising in the Republican primary to date, according to a tally by Smart Media Group Delta.
The money, spread across Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, has gone toward some memorable spots – Ron Paul’s dog, Rick Perry’s prayer jacket, voters wondering who Jon Huntsman is -- as the candidates have fought an increasingly fierce air war for their party’s nomination.
The best of the web in 2011
by Justin Germany and Kate Galliers / Dec 31 2011
Cigarette drags, ironic voiceovers, detailed PowerPoint presentations, rodeo footage. There’s no set formula for making a viral online campaign ad. The Internet, it seems, just knows it when it sees it. As 2011 draws to a close, here's a look at some of the online videos that kept us glued to the screen.
6. The #NERDALERT: Rep. Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity. Infographics were the new, old kid on the block
The five best campaign blogs of 2011
by Andrew Clark / Dec 31 2011
Some candidates don’t take advantage of what could be a powerful messaging tool and shy away from creating strategic campaign blogs. It’s a missed opportunity because a blog hosted on a campaign’s website is one of the cheapest, most effective ways to communicate with supporters.
The campaign has complete control over the content and timing, and has limitless design options for presenting its message in the best way possible. So what does it
