SPEAK is a Christian network which connects people to campaign and pray on issues of global justice. Through bringing change to situations of injustice SPEAK aims to share their faith in God. The organisation's name comes from Proverbs 31:8-9: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves".
110-458: SPEAK combines campaigning and prayer because they believe that they make a powerful combination to bring social transformation. SPEAK believes in networking because they believe that only when acting and praying in unity can people really make a difference. SPEAK connects both individuals and groups. SPEAK groups typically meet in universities and colleges . Local groups are the main network participants, and there are now over thirty groups in
220-415: A Gallup Poll on the eve of the confirmation vote showed that very few Americans could name the nominee in question, much less recall his rulings. A new verb was later coined; "to bork" a candidate or nominee by mounting such voluminous research and vocal opposition that the person in question would be forced to withdraw. After President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court,
330-569: A speechwriter in the Nixon Administration , suggested that the GOP keep files on individuals as insurance against future races, rather than "scramble" in an ad hoc fashion, race by race. Opposition research differs immensely depending on the size and funding of a campaign, the ethics of the candidate, and the era in which it is conducted. Information gathering can be classified into three main categories: open-source research enabled by
440-597: A "closing argument ad", an advertisement that summarizes the campaign's core themes and explains the candidate's vision for the future. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden's "Rising" ad starts with him saying "we're in a battle for the soul of this nation" and a worker in Donald Trump's Pennsylvania ad stated "that will be the end of my job and thousands of others" if Trump lost. Earned media describes free media coverage, often from news stories or social media posts. Unlike paid media, earned media does not incur an expense to
550-585: A 200-page briefing book, including information on Carter's strategy, which staffers David Stockman and David Gergen had used to prepare Reagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department investigated to see how the information had been obtained by the Reagan camp. Two law professors filed suit in federal district court in Washington to request a special investigation, based on
660-536: A 2024 study, political practitioners in the United States poorly predict what kind of messaging is persuasive to the public. The study found that practitioners performed barely better than chance at predicting persuasive effects; practitioners performed about as well as laypeople in predicting persuasive effects; and that practitioners’ experience, expertise, information environment, and demographics did affect their accuracy. Fundraising techniques include having
770-455: A Democratic opposition researcher attracted notoriety and built a reputation not for deploying his skills against Republican opponents, but for using them against other Democrats in the primary races. Working for retired Army general Wesley Clark, Lehane sought to establish a media "narrative" that Howard Dean was hypocritical and dishonest, based on surveys of his administrative archive as governor of Vermont. A protege of Atwater's, Karl Rove ,
880-515: A PBS interview that the book had been taken by columnist George Will , but Will denied it, calling Carter "a recidivist liar." Lee Atwater is considered to be the "father" of modern aggressive "oppo" techniques. Atwater honed his style working in his native South Carolina for Senator Strom Thurmond and to elect Congressman (later Governor) Carroll Campbell . From his posts on the 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush , Atwater encouraged and helped direct what
990-502: A Virginia senator, George Allen , was unseated because of videotape of the senator calling a videographer/opposition researcher a "macaca" or monkey. The name was considered to be an ethnic slur, and Allen's campaign could not overcome the damage when the incident was broadcast widely in mainstream media and on the internet. A 2005 analysis of digital media strategies published by the American Academy of Political Science took
1100-574: A bit more likely to turn out to vote. But there is also evidence that offering token public support for a cause on Facebook or Twitter may make one less likely to be involved in offline campaign activities" (Sides 2018). Now, online election campaign information can be shared in a rich information format through campaign landing pages, integrating Google's rich snippets, structured data, social media open graphs , and husting support file formats for YouTube like .sbv , .srt , and .vtt . High proficiency and effective algorithmic integration will be
1210-426: A black child out of wedlock?" The question was not overt slander, but it prompted the president of Bob Jones University to launch his own internet campaign against McCain, and succeeded in crippling the trust of voters McCain had attracted. The Bush camp knew, as the general public did not, that in reality, John McCain was the adoptive father of a dark-skinned Bangladeshi refugee who was rescued by his wife Cindi. In
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#17327941876731320-455: A brochure for door to door distribution, organizing poll workers, etc. A paper campaign is a political campaign in which the candidate only files the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot . The purpose of such a token effort may be simply to increase name awareness of a minor political party, to give voters of a certain ideology an opportunity to vote accordingly, or to ensure that the party has candidates in every constituency. It can be
1430-456: A campaign has identified how to win, it can act to create the circumstances to bring about this victory. In order to succeed, campaigns should direct campaign resources – money, time, and message – to key groups of potential voters and nowhere else." Election campaign communication refers to party-controlled communication , e.g. campaign advertising , and party-uncontrolled communication , e.g. media coverage of elections. Campaign advertising
1540-455: A cost-effective means of attracting media coverage. An informational campaign, by contrast, may involve news releases, newspaper interviews, door-to-door campaigning, and organizing polls. As the level of seriousness rises, the marginal cost of reaching more people rises accordingly, due to the high cost of TV commercials, paid staff, etc. which are used by competitive campaigns. Paper candidates do not expect to be elected and usually run simply as
1650-459: A cost-saving measure. The term is frequently used to refer not just to the collection of information but also how it is utilized, as a component of negative campaigning . In the 1st century BC, Cicero is said to have gathered information that was damaging to opponents and used it in attacks against them. He accused one political opponent, Catiline , of murdering one wife to make room for another. He attacked Mark Antony in speeches known as
1760-539: A formal strategy known as the campaign plan . The plan takes account of a campaign's goal, message, target audience, and resources available. The campaign will typically seek to identify supporters at the same time as getting its message across. The modern, open campaign method was pioneered by Aaron Burr during the American presidential election of 1800 . Another modern campaign method by political scientist Joel Bradshaw points out four key propositions for developing
1870-546: A little fun at your candidate's expense; your donors may feel their donation in being misspent and may never give again. Congressional and presidential opposition research is often conducted by or funded by a political party, lobbying group, political action committee (PAC), or a 527 group that coalesces around a certain issue. In the U.S., both the Republican and Democratic parties employ full-time "Directors of Research" and maintain databases on opponents. In recent years
1980-560: A movement that follows Jesus , as he is revealed in the Bible , in a radical way in personal discipleship , as well as striving for social transformation. As a Christian group, SPEAK aims to base its action on the Bible . Biblical passages such as Proverbs chapter 31 verses 8-9, and Micah chapter 6 verse 8 help to define the purpose of the SPEAK network. The SPEAK network organises an annual weekend conference known as Soundcheck, which
2090-512: A panel of lawyers, including two Duke University law professors, the 78-page became known as "The Biden Report." The report detailed Bork's record, and analyzed the pattern of his rulings, and deeming him to be a conservative "activist" rather than an impartial jurist. Ultimately, Bork's embattled nomination failed, and Anthony Kennedy (no relation to Ted) was later confirmed to fill the position. The fierce research-based opposition to Bork's nomination attracted significant media attention, even though
2200-479: A party in the 2016 Berlin state election campaign found that the online-ad campaign "increased the party's vote share by 0.7 percentage points" and that factual ads were more effective than emotional ads. Political campaigns have existed as long as there have been informed citizens to campaign amongst. Democratic societies have regular election campaigns, but political campaigning can occur on particular issues even in non-democracies so long as freedom of expression
2310-522: A political consultant in the employ of New York state senator Joseph Bruno , resigned after leaving threatening phone messages on the answering machine of the 85-year-old father of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer , alleging that Spitzer's campaign finances were conducted improperly. In November of that same year, Stone sent a letter to the FBI detailing Spitzer's sexual preferences with prostitutes and sexual props, right down to his black calf-length socks. Stone
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#17327941876732420-433: A successful campaign strategy. "First, in any election the electorate can be divided into three groups: the candidate's base, the opponent's base, and the undecided. Second, past election results, data from registered voter lists, and survey research make it possible to determine which people fall into each of these three groups. Third, it is neither possible nor necessary to get the support of all people. Fourth, and last, once
2530-657: A way of helping the more general campaign. However, an unexpected surge in support for the party may result in many paper candidates being unexpectedly elected, as for example happened to the New Democratic Party in Quebec during the 2011 federal election . A 2018 study in the American Political Science Review found that campaigns have "an average effect of zero in general elections". The study found two instances where campaigning
2640-733: A witness in the Whitewater controversy . At this time, Brown confirmed that he had been the source of four mainstream media stories that had received attention from the Columbia Journalism Review because they bore striking resemblance to the opposition research being disseminated by Citizens United. "Far from being detached observers, reporters constantly call oppo staffs looking for tidbits and sometimes trading information", wrote three reporters, Matthew Cooper , Gloria Borger , and Michael Barone , for U.S. News & World Report in 1992. In spring 2007, Roger Stone ,
2750-559: Is "thinner" by virtue of "the ease in which people can become politically expressive without being substantively engaged." Facebook photos became a tool of opposition researchers in California's 32nd congressional district special election, 2009 to replace Hilda Solis . Front-runner Democrat Gil Cedillo sent out mailers targeting 26-year-old Emanuel Pleitez, grouping Pleitez's Facebook photos to suggest that he parties to excess with alcohol, and fraternizes with gangs . The text of
2860-410: Is a necessary component of grassroots activist groups. Research on corporate or political opponents may enable activist groups to target neighborhoods from which to increase their numbers, to refine their focus or "target", to pinpoint the target's vulnerabilities, to reveal hidden sources of funding or little-known connections, to investigate scare tactics, and to augment a legislative initiative. In
2970-445: Is allowed. Often mass campaigns are started by the less privileged or anti-establishment viewpoints (as against more powerful interests whose first resort is lobbying ). The phenomenon of political campaigns are tightly tied to lobby groups and political parties . The first modern campaign is often described as William Ewart Gladstone 's Midlothian campaign in 1878–80, although there may be earlier recognizably modern examples from
3080-441: Is an essential component of a successful political campaign. Studies show that candidates with higher media attention tend to have greater success in elections. Each form of media can influence the other. Paid media may raise the newsworthiness of an event which could lead to an increase in earned media. Campaigns may also spend money to emphasize stories circulating through media networks. Research suggests that neither form of media
3190-601: Is considered to be the "architect" of George W. Bush's election to the governor's office in Texas, and to the presidency in 2000 and 2004. In the 2000 race, Rove is credited with masterminding the push poll that initiated the " John McCain has a black love child" whisper campaign in South Carolina. Anonymous telephone pollsters, upon determining that a voter was pro-McCain, asked the question, "Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain if you knew he had fathered
3300-441: Is directly generated from spending. This form of media is commonly found through political advertisements and organized events. An advantage of paid media is that it allows political campaigns to tailor the messages they show the public and control when the public sees them. Campaigns often prioritize spending in contested regions and increase their paid media expenses as an election approaches. Electoral campaigns often conclude with
3410-565: Is inherently superior. A 2009 study found that media coverage was not significantly more effective than paid advertisements. The internet is now a core element of modern political campaigns. Communication technologies such as e-mail, websites, and podcasts for various forms of activism enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. These Internet technologies are used for cause-related fundraising, lobbying, volunteering, community building, and organizing. Individual political candidates are also using
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3520-416: Is less effective in increasing turnout than using local and trained volunteers. There are many different types of strategies that are also used during these campaigns that target certain people and try to win them over. people are also paid to help get candidates to vote for a certain side. In the book Campaigns and Elections , author John Sides says, "Campaigns involve a variety of actors. More visible are
3630-462: Is more ideologically moderate – predict presidential election outcomes. However, campaigns may be necessary to enlighten otherwise uninformed voters about the fundamentals, which thus become increasingly predictive of preferences as the campaign progresses. Research suggests that "the 2012 presidential campaigns increased turnout in highly targeted states by 7–8 percentage points, on average, indicating that modern campaigns can significantly alter
3740-519: Is saying. The fundamentals matter less in the outcome of presidential primaries. One prominent theory holds that the outcome of presidential primaries is largely determined by the preferences of party elites. Presidential primaries are therefore less predictive, as various types of events may impact elites' perception of the viability of candidates. Gaffes, debates and media narratives play a greater role in primaries than in presidential elections. Traditional ground campaigning and voter contacts remain
3850-504: Is the use of paid media (newspapers, radio, television, etc.) to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the campaign's staff . Media management refers to the ability of a political campaign to control the message that it broadcasts to the public. The forms of media used in political campaigns can be classified into two distinct categories: "paid media" or "earned media". There are times where some campaigns get little attention, but
3960-435: Is to ensure marketing campaigns achieve their objectives. They work with the marketing manager to create, execute and monitor the performance of campaigns and provide all the resources required to meet sales targets. Political consultants advise campaigns on virtually all of their activities, from research to field strategy. Consultants conduct candidate research, voter research, and opposition research for their clients. In
4070-405: Is to position information or personnel within media outlets. Often the information is video footage gathered in campaign-funded "tracker programs" wherein videographers use candidates' itineraries to track them and record as many remarks as possible, since anything they say can and will be used against them, as was the case in former Senator George Allen's "macaca moment." In the 2006 election cycle,
4180-651: Is usually held in London during February. The SPEAK Network also organises regional forums. These events are opportunities for people in local SPEAK groups to meet up with other people involved in the SPEAK Network. Political campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies , political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided. In modern politics,
4290-658: The American Economic Review found that door-to-door canvassing on behalf of the Francois Hollande campaign in the 2012 French presidential election "did not affect turnout, but increased Hollande's vote share in the first round and accounted for one fourth of his victory margin in the second. Visits' impact persisted in later elections, suggesting a lasting persuasion effect." According to a 2018 study, repeated get-out-the-vote phone calls had diminishing effects but each additional phone call increased
4400-579: The Boston Globe reported that Republican conservative advocacy groups were conducting opposition research against her: "Groups are circulating lists of questions they want members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask Miers at her confirmation hearings. The activists' thinly veiled hope is that Miers will reveal ignorance of the law and give senators a reason to oppose her." Miers later withdrew her name from consideration for
4510-631: The Philippicae , eventually prompting Antony to chop off his head and right hand and display them at the Roman Forum. Opposition research also has its origins in military planning, as evident in such ancient texts as The Art of War , published in the 5th century BC by Sun Tzu . This manual for warriors describes the necessity for understanding an opponent's weaknesses, for using spies, and for striking in moments of weakness. In 18th-century England and Ireland , opposition research took
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4620-574: The Freedom of Information Act , covert operations or " tradecraft , " and maintenance of human systems of informants. Increasingly, data-mining of electronic records is used. Information is then stored for future use, and disseminated in a variety of ways. A local election sometimes has a staff member dedicated to reading through all of the opponents' public statements and their voting records; others initiate whisper campaigns that employ techniques of disinformation or "black ops" to deliberately mislead
4730-624: The Office of Strategic Services during World War II. File-sharing between operatives of political parties is quite common. In the 2008 presidential election, a dossier of opposition research against Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin was posted in its entirety on a political blog site, Politico.com . The file was compiled by the staff of her opponent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, Tony Knowles . "Oppo dumps" are used by political campaigns to systematically supply files of damaging information to press outlets, including matters of
4840-640: The UK plus others in the United States, France, Spain, various parts of Africa and whole other networks affiliated to SPEAK in Brazil , the Netherlands and Sweden. In the local group context SPEAK aims to combine faith and action. SPEAK seeks to share their faith in God, as well as campaign for change in where they believe that currently there is injustice, such as world trade and third world debt . SPEAK wants to be
4950-483: The "Robert Bork's America" speech: Kennedy's speech prompted a rapid-response opposition research effort from Democrats, but the White House waited two and a half months to respond. The Senate Judiciary Committee , under the direction of Delaware senator and presidential hopeful Joseph Biden , commissioned a report in response to the materials Reagan's staff had released in support of Bork's nomination. Prepared by
5060-614: The 1824 and 1828 presidential elections unearthed his marriage records to imply that he was an adulterer for marrying Rachel Robards before she was legally divorced from her first husband. Jackson had married her in 1791 on the strength of a statement from her husband that he had divorced her; Jackson had two wedding ceremonies, the not-recognizable one of 1791 and the legally corrective one of 1794. His political opponents used this information decades later against him, and he fought many duels over his wife's honor. Rachel Robards died before Jackson took office in his first term; he maintained that
5170-482: The 1978 Ethics in Government Act . Carter's staff believed the book to have been stolen from the White House, but the inquiry did not uncover any credible evidence that any law had been violated. The House of Representatives conducted its own investigation, and concluded in a 2,314-page report that the Reagan staff had two copies of the book, one from Reagan's campaign director William J. Casey , future head of
5280-448: The 1992, 1996, and 2000 elections. On the other hand, a 2017 paper of the 1948 presidential election provides "strong evidence that candidate visits can influence electoral returns". Other research also provides evidence that campaign visits increase vote share. Campaigns may also rely on strategically placed field offices to acquire votes. The Obama 2008 campaign's extensive use of field offices has been credited as crucial to winning in
5390-662: The 19th century. The 1896 William McKinley presidential campaign laid the groundwork for modern campaigns. In the 19th Century, American presidential candidates seldom traveled or made speeches in support of their candidacies. Through 1904, only eight major presidential candidates did so ( William Henry Harrison in 1840 , Winfield Scott in 1852 , Stephen A. Douglas in 1860 , Horatio Seymour in 1868 , Horace Greeley in 1872 , James A. Garfield in 1880 , James G. Blaine in 1884 , William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and 1900 , and Alton B. Parker in 1904 ), whereas every major presidential candidate since then has done so, with
5500-483: The 2000 presidential election, longtime opposition researcher and Nixon loyalist Roger Stone was recruited by former Secretary of State James Baker to oversee the recount of the disputed Presidential election in Miami-Dade County in 2000. Stone is credited with organizing the street demonstrations and eventual shut-down of the recount in that pivotal county. In the 2004 presidential race, Chris Lehane ,
5610-532: The 2006 and 2004 campaigns of Democrats in the state. Stetler left the House after 2006 to become the state's revenue secretary. A former aide, Dan Wiedemer testified before grand jurors that the suggestion to remove politically motivated research from the hands of public employees "was more or less shot down." Though Stetler has not been charged, 12 former House members and members of their staff were charged with diverting public funds for political campaign work. Stetler
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#17327941876735720-464: The 2008 GOP presidential race ballot as John McCain's running mate. At a later news conference Palin told reporters, "Obviously conditions had changed so drastically on August 29, the day I was tapped to be VP", she said. "The opposition research and the games that began there — which I think is the new normal in Alaska politics, until I hand the reins over to Sean Parnell — have been so distracting." In
5830-533: The 2008 presidential election, opposition researchers for Barack Obama unearthed the fact that John Edwards had paid $ 400 for haircuts at campaign expense, and supplied Politico's Ben Smith with the tip, according to a memoir later published by campaign manager David Plouffe. Though the Democratic National Committee continues to fund a research department, after the 2008 presidential election, The New York Times reported that "The legacy of
5940-505: The Alexander campaign raised the issue of Clement's financial ties with the convicted felons, Clement denied any connection. When the Alexander campaign produced the photograph as evidence, Clement claimed his role was only an informal advisory one. In early July 2009 Alaska governor Sarah Palin announced that she would be resigning as governor, partly due to complications from opposition research and ethics inquiries after her inclusion on
6050-506: The Bush archives decades later revealed that a Bush staffer, Candice Strother, had released a dossier of information on Willie Horton to Elizabeth Fediay, of the non-profit group that contracted for the ad. (The Horton story had been completely public for an entire year, part of news coverage that won a Pulitzer Prize for the Lawrence (Massachusetts) Eagle-Tribune newspaper.) Willie Horton
6160-614: The Central Intelligence Agency. James Baker attributed the acquisition of the documents to Casey, who claimed to know nothing about them, and an analysis of Carter campaign documents found in the "Afghanistan" files of Reagan aide David Gergen indicated they came from three White House offices: the National Security Council , Vice President Walter Mondale and Domestic Adviser Stuart Eizenstat . Many years afterward, Carter himself stated in
6270-451: The DNC. Alito's "record" had been pointedly altered to present him in a negative light. While the incident was not unusual, it received publicity in prominent places because it drew attention to the "meta-data" that is often unwittingly stored in documents that are altered and forwarded electronically. On May 2, 2009, after Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his intent to retire from
6380-568: The Democratic National Committee itself is hardly clear going forward. Mr. Obama effectively subsumed all the responsibilities in his campaign: fundraising, voter turn-out and opposition research. In 1916, after President Woodrow Wilson nominated Louis Brandeis for the Supreme Court, "concerned" citizens seeking to block his confirmation offered information that Brandeis was a "radical Zionist", even though he
6490-533: The Pennsylvania state legislature in July 2009, former state House Democratic Campaign Committee Chair, Rep. Stephen Stetler found himself amidst an investigation when he rejected a plan that would have shifted the job of opposition research from employees on the state payroll to private firms. Attorney General Tom Corbett alleged that millions in public funds were paid to state employees who did such research on
6600-651: The basis of negative attack messaging for a 'rapid response unit'. In January 2017, the African National Congress (ANC) was exposed when Sihle Bolani filed an affidavit in the Johannesburg High Court , demanding payment for her part in project War Room. The War Room's mandate was to "disempower DA and EFF campaigns" and set a pro-ANC agenda using a range of media, without revealing the ANC's hand. Opponents of Andrew Jackson in
6710-533: The benefits of in-person organizing." According to a 2020 study, campaign spending on messaging to voters affects voter support for candidates. Another 2020 study found that political advertising had small effects regardless of context, message, sender, and receiver. A 2022 study found that voters are persuadable to switch support for candidates when they are exposed to new information. Political science research generally finds negative advertisement (which has increased over time) to be ineffective both at reducing
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#17327941876736820-416: The campaign in the state, which can be sufficient to win a close race. In down-ballot races, spending matters more. Scholars have estimated that a $ 2 million advantage can net a Senate campaign 10,000 votes. A large body of political science research emphasizes how "fundamentals" – the state of the economy, whether the country is at war, how long the president's party has held the office, and which candidate
6930-433: The campaign. Earned media does not imply that the political campaign is mentioned in a positive manner. Political campaigns may often receive earned media from gaffes or scandals. In the 2016 United States Presidential Election, a majority of the media coverage surrounding Hillary Clinton was focused on her scandals, with the most prevalent topics being topics related to her emails. Experts say that effective media management
7040-429: The campaigns are started. Voters are more likely to vote for a nominee based on whose values align closest with theirs. Studies suggest that party flips come from the analysis of how a voter sees their parties performance in the years before a campaign even begins. Another study suggests that at the 2017 Austrian legislative election , 31% of voters admitted to either developing of changing their party preferences during
7150-412: The candidate call or meet with large donors, sending direct mail pleas to small donors, and courting interest groups who could end up spending millions on the race if it is significant to their interests. In a modern political campaign, the campaign organization (or "machine") will have a coherent structure of personnel in the same manner as any business of similar size. A campaign manager's primary duty
7260-442: The candidate down with explaining details. For example, in the 2008 American presidential election John McCain originally used a message that focused on his patriotism and political experience: "Country First"; later the message was changed to shift attention to his role as "The Original Maverick" within the political establishment. Barack Obama ran on a consistent, simple message of "change" throughout his campaign. According to
7370-578: The candidates themselves. Their strategic choices involve every facet of a campaign: whether to run in the first place, what issues to emphasize, what specific messages or themes to discuss, which kinds of media to use, and which citizens to target." According to political scientists Donald Green and Alan Gerber, it costs $ 31 to produce a vote going door to door, $ 91-$ 137 to produce a vote by sending out direct mailers, $ 47 per vote from leafletting, $ 58-$ 125 per vote from commercial phone banking, and $ 20-$ 35 per vote from voluntary phone banking. A 2018 study in
7480-533: The chart to Walter Lippmann at the New Republic who penned an editorial condemning "the most homogeneous, self-centered, and self-complacent community in the United States." Brandeis was confirmed after four months of hearings, in a Senate vote of 47–22. Ronald Reagan nominated Judge Robert Bork for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987, prompting a Senate floor speech from Democratic Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy , which later became known as
7590-450: The context of political campaigns, activists are "foot soldiers" loyal to a campaign's cause. As supporters, they promote the campaign as volunteer activists. Such volunteers and interns may take part in activities such as canvassing door-to-door and making phone calls on behalf of the campaigns. A campaign team (which may be as small as one inspired individual, or a heavily resourced group of professionals) must consider how to communicate
7700-548: The core factor in the framework. This technology integration helps campaign information reach a wide audience in split-seconds. This was successfully tested and implemented in the 2015 Aruvikkara election and the 2020 Kerala elections . Marcus Giavanni, social media consultant, blockchain developer and second place opponent in the 2015 Denver mayoral election , was first to file for the 2019 election . Marcus Giavanni used advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence, and voice indexing predictions to box in campaigns. A husting, or
7810-594: The court, The New York Times reported that Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice, had noted that conservatives were "focusing opposition research efforts on 17 women, whom they have divided into two tiers based on their perceived chances." Seven aides to members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives pleaded guilty on January 7, 2010, to illegal use of state resources for campaign activities, including opposition research against
7920-409: The court. On July 7, 2005, soon after the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor , the Democratic National Committee gathered and circulated information on the "anti-civil rights" and "anti-immigrant" rulings of Samuel Alito , by then nominated by President George W. Bush to replace her. Upon inspection, the documents were revealed to have been amended by Devorah Adler , research director for
8030-527: The election campaign. The study provides data that shows how the main parties within Austria had differing levels of voters flipping toward them, thus proving that an election campaign has some level of effectiveness that differs between parties, depending on factors such as media presence. In presidential campaigns in the United States, research indicates that a $ 10 million advantage in spending in an individual states leads to approximately 27,000 more votes for
8140-540: The end of his life that he regretted some of his less ethical techniques. In the 1992 presidential campaign, Republicans reported that they spent $ 6 million on a "state of the art (opposition research) war machine" to investigate Bill Clinton, who was running against George H. W. Bush . In the same election, the Clinton campaign paid more than $ 100,000 to a private investigator to look into allegations about Clinton's womanizing, investigating more than two dozen women. In
8250-589: The form of scandal-mongering pamphlet wars between the Whig and Tory parties. Writers such as Daniel Defoe , Jonathan Swift , and Henry Fielding participated, often writing under assumed names. This tradition of robust attack was replicated later in the American colonies, when writers such as Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin conducted opposition research and published their results. The first appearance of
8360-432: The hustings, was originally a physical platform from which representatives presented their views or cast votes before a parliamentary or other election body. By metonymy, the term may now refer to any event, such as debates or speeches, during an election campaign where one or more of the representative candidates are present. An informational campaign is a political campaign designed to raise public awareness and support for
8470-568: The internet to promote their election campaign. In a study of Norwegian election campaigns, politicians reported they used social media for marketing and for dialogue with voters. Facebook was the primary platform for marketing and Twitter was used for more continuous dialogue. Signifying the importance of internet political campaigning, Barack Obama's presidential campaign relied heavily on social media , Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and new media channels to engage voters, recruit campaign volunteers, and raise campaign funds . The campaign brought
8580-518: The leaking of 'dirt files' compiled by the Liberal National Party and further revelations that a former Australian Labor Party operative had been engaged to help compile the dossiers. Despite protestations that key party personnel had no knowledge of the dossiers it was later revealed a Liberal National Party opposition research strategist had been compiling the files as part of a SWOT analysis at previous elections which formed
8690-476: The mailer suggested Pleitez, posing with a Latino stage actress and using a Latino voter registration drive hand sign, was "flashing gang signs". In 2006, the campaign manager of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cathy Cox , Morton Brilliant, resigned after Cox's opponent, Lt. Gov, Mark Taylor , revealed Cox's campaign had added information from an opposition research dossier to a Misplaced Pages page on Taylor. Misplaced Pages co-founder Jimmy Wales confirmed that
8800-440: The main ideas of the campaign and are repeated frequently in order to create a lasting impression with the voters. In many elections, the opposition party will try to get the candidate "off message" by bringing up policy or personal questions that are not related to the talking points. Most campaigns prefer to keep the message broad in order to attract the most potential voters. A message that is too narrow can alienate voters or slow
8910-415: The market that hosts a visit." The authors of the study argue that it would be more effective for campaigns to go to the pockets of the country where wealthy donors are (for fundraising) and hold rallies in the populous states both to attract national press and raise funds. A 2005 study found that campaign visits had no statistically significant effect, after controlling for other factors, on voter turnout in
9020-560: The material had come from an IP address affiliated with the Cox campaign. Citing an Associated Press analysis, CNN reported that Misplaced Pages being used as a "popular tool" for opposition researchers became so widespread a problem that Misplaced Pages altered its submission guidelines and set up alerts so that its operators know when Capitol Hill staffers alter Misplaced Pages content. However, anyone who wanted to could simply bypass this by using an IP address not associated with Capitol Hill. Opposition research
9130-443: The message of the campaign, recruit volunteers, and raise money. Campaign advertising draws on techniques from commercial advertising and propaganda , also entertainment and public relations, a mixture dubbed politainment . The avenues available to political campaigns when distributing their messages is limited by the law, available resources, and the imagination of the campaigns' participants. These techniques are often combined into
9240-634: The most effective strategies. Some research suggests that knocking on doors can increase turnout by as much as 10% and phone calls by as much as 4%. One study suggests that lawn signs increase vote share by 1.7 percentage points. A review of more than 200 get-out-the-vote experiments finds that the most effective tactics are personal: Door-to-door canvassing increases turnout by an average of about 2.5 percentage points; volunteer phone calls raise it by about 1.9 points, compared to 1.0 points for calls from commercial phone banks; automated phone messages are ineffective. Using out-of-state volunteers for canvassing
9350-475: The most high-profile political campaigns are focused on general elections and candidates for head of state or head of government , often a president or prime minister . The message of the campaign contains the ideas that the candidate wants to share with the voters. It is to get those who agree with their ideas to support them when running for a political position. The message often consists of several talking points about policy issues. The points summarize
9460-499: The ones that do get highlighted for the effectiveness and dramatic events. In the book Campaigns and Elections by author John Sides, it says, "For those that do get attention, media coverage often emphasizes what is new, dramatic, or scandalous. Unlike the candidates themselves, the news media or at least those outlets that strive for objectivity are not seeking to manipulate citizens into voting for their particular candidates." (Sides 2018). Paid media refers to any media attention that
9570-548: The phrase "opposition research" in The New York Times occurred on December 17, 1971, in an article that describes the infiltration of the Edmund Muskie presidential campaign by a female Republican volunteer: "...an article appeared in a Washington newspaper describing the 'opposition research' program at Republican headquarters..." Opposition research became systematized in the 1970s, when Ken Khachigian ,
9680-460: The political opponents of incumbent officeholders during 2007. These seven were Democrats; a total of 25 indictments have been handed down to a mix of Democrats and Republican politicians. During Lamar Alexander 's 2002 campaign for the U.S. Senate, Alexander's campaign staff received an anonymous mailing of a photograph of opponent Bob Clement obviously serving as a board member of a failed bank whose owners had been imprisoned for bank fraud. When
9790-405: The positions of a candidate (or her/his party). It is more intense than a paper campaign, which consists of little more than filing the necessary papers to get on the ballot, but is less intense than a competitive campaign, which aims to actually win election to the office. An informational campaign typically focuses on low-cost outreach such as news releases, getting interviewed in the paper, making
9900-933: The presidential election of 2008, the blog Talking Points Memo pioneered "collaborative citizen-reporting projects" based on groups of volunteers examining public documents that shed light on the George W. Bush administration's U.S. attorneys firings controversy . Other organizations such as the Sunlight Foundation encouraged citizen examination of such public domain records as Mitt Romney's financial disclosure statements and Bill Clinton's income statements. Political strategies for campaigns often include coaching on preventive measures to avoid providing too much information in public disclosure procedures that can provide ammunition for opponents' opposition researchers, particularly in itemized expenditure reports. "To eliminate some of these potential issues your campaign should take
10010-575: The probability to vote by 0.6-1.0 percentage points. Another 2018 study found that "party leaflets boost turnout by 4.3 percentage points while canvassing has a small additional effect (0.6 percentage points)" in a United Kingdom election. A 2016 study found that visits by a candidate to states have modest effects: "visits are most effective in influencing press coverage at the national level and within battleground states. Visits' effects on voters themselves, however, are much more modest than consultants often claim, and visits appear to have no effects outside
10120-442: The public by advancing a pre-determined "narrative" that will present the opponent in a negative light. Another technique is to infiltrate the opposition's operations and position a paid informant there. "Gray propaganda" techniques are often used to release damaging information to news media outlets without its source being identified properly, a technique inherited from disinformation tactics employed by intelligence agencies such as
10230-585: The public record, video footage from party archives and private collections, as well as private intelligence gathered by operatives. Many prime time television and radio news commentaries rely on this supply of party-generated material because it is free, and therefore more cost-effective than paying investigative reporters. Candidates and incumbents who benefit from opposition research often choose to remain uninformed about their campaign's operations and tactics, to ensure plausible deniability should criminal charges be brought against researchers. Another technique
10340-486: The size and composition of the voting population". A consensus in the political science literature holds that national conventions usually have a measurable effect on presidential elections that is relatively resistant to decay. Research is mixed on the precise impact of debates. Rather than encourage viewers to update their political views in accordance with the most persuasive arguments, viewers instead update their views to merely reflect what their favored candidate
10450-507: The sole exception of Calvin Coolidge in 1924 . In 1896, William McKinley recruited the help of Marcus A. Hanna. Hanna devised a plan to have voters come to McKinley. McKinley won the race with 51% of the votes. The development of new technologies has completely changed the way political campaigns are run. In the late 20th Century, campaigns shifted into television and radio broadcasts. The early 2000s brought interactive websites. By 2008
10560-430: The spotlight on the importance of using internet in new-age political campaigning by utilizing various forms of social media and new media (including Facebook, YouTube and a custom generated social engine) to reach new target populations. The campaign's social website, my.BarackObama.com, utilized a low cost and efficient method of mobilizing voters and increasing participation among various voter populations. This new media
10670-726: The states of Indiana and North Carolina. Each field office that the Obama campaign opened in 2012 gave him approximately a 0.3% greater vote share. According to one study, the cost per vote by having a field office is $ 49.40. A 2024 study found "that campaign offices help candidates in small but meaningful ways, delivering modest but quantifiable increases in candidate vote share in the areas where they open... Field offices can increase candidate vote share, but their value differs across parties: Democrats benefit more in battleground states and populous areas, while Republicans’ largely rural base of support in recent years provides challenges for maximizing
10780-546: The stress of the opposition had killed her. In 1858, William Herndon , the law partner of Abraham Lincoln , did research in the Illinois State Library to collect "all the ammunition Mr. Lincoln saw fit to gather" to prepare for the run against Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 presidential race. In preparation for Ronald Reagan's debate with President Jimmy Carter in the presidential race 1980, Reagan's campaign staff acquired under mysterious circumstances
10890-399: The support and turnout for the opponent. A 2021 study in the American Political Science Review found that television campaign ads do affect election outcomes, in particular in down-ballot races. According to political scientists Stephen Ansolabehere and Shanto Iyengar, negative ads do succeed at driving down overall turnout though. A 2019 study of online political advertising conducted by
11000-468: The task of opposition research has been privatized in many areas. Full-time companies with permanent staff specializing in media productions or "grassroots" operations have replaced volunteers and campaign officials. Political media consultants may also opt for astroturfing techniques, which simulate wide popular appeal for a candidate's platform. In October 2011, a media storm erupted in Australia over
11110-531: The time to review the wording of your campaign finance reports", advises one strategist writing for The Hill : Instead of reporting that you spent $ 3,000 on a 'background check and public records search on Congressman X,' list the expenditure as 'issue research' or simply 'research'... One bonus financial filing tip: warn your candidate about spending campaign funds on fancy restaurants for 'strategy meetings.' Eating at Ruth's Chris or Morton's Steak House on your campaign's dime just looks bad. The press may poke
11220-411: The view that new technologies enable "political elites" to use database and Internet technologies to do opposition research more easily, but they use data-mining techniques that outrage privacy advocates and surreptitious technologies that few Internet users understand. Data becomes "richer" about political actors, policy options, and the diversity of actors and opinion in the public sphere, but citizenship
11330-413: The voting record of a politician. Opposition research can also entail using trackers to follow an individual and record their activities or political speeches. The research is usually conducted in the time period between announcement of intent to run and the actual election; however political parties maintain long-term databases that can cover several decades. The practice is both a tactical maneuver and
11440-600: The world of campaigns was available to millions of people through the internet and social media programs. 2008 marked a new era of digital elections because of the fast-paced movement of information. Opposition research In politics , opposition research (also called oppo research ) is the practice of collecting information on a political opponent or other adversary that can be used to discredit or otherwise weaken them. The information can include biographical , legal, criminal , medical , educational, or financial history or activities, as well as prior media coverage, or
11550-653: Was among those subpoenaed, said Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell. The hearing will be held before President Judge Richard Lewis in September. The practice of using tips from opposition research sources was examined in 1994 by Howard Kurtz , media analyst for The Washington Post . Kurtz surveyed the major networks, Newsweek , The Wall Street Journal , the Los Angeles Times , and other influential media outlets, and found varying levels of use of oppo research information on David Hale as
11660-470: Was an African-American convicted murderer released on a weekend furlough during Governor Dukakis's tenure, who escaped and committed a brutal rape in Maryland, also stabbing his victim's husband. Atwater is also credited with originating "push polls" and "whisper campaigns" that use disinformation strategies to alienate voters from opponents. A biography of Atwater, quotes him as saying in an interview toward
11770-431: Was effective: "First, when candidates take unusually unpopular positions and campaigns invest unusually heavily in identifying persuadable voters. Second, when campaigns contact voters long before election day and measure effects immediately — although this early persuasion decays." One reason why it is hard to judge the effectiveness of an election campaign is because many people know who they want to vote for long before
11880-400: Was incredibly successful at reaching the younger population while helping all populations organize and promote action. In the book Campaigns and Elections author John sides also speaks upon this on page 235 and says, "Online communities can still promote involvement in campaigns: large experiments on Facebook found that users who saw that their Facebook friends had reported voting were themselves
11990-451: Was not a practicing Jew. Brandeis aggressively outmaneuvered his detractors by mounting his own opposition research efforts, including a carefully constructed chart that exposed the social and financial connections of the group, mostly from Boston's Back Bay, and including Harvard president Lawrence Lowell , as well as a group headed by former President William Howard Taft and a host of American Bar Association past presidents. Brandeis sent
12100-644: Was then the advanced oppo work of the Republican National Committee against Democrats Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis . During the 1988 presidential campaign, dozens of RNC researchers worked three shifts around the clock to feed the then-burgeoning 24-hour news cycle . The now-infamous "Willie Horton" TV ads crafted by Floyd Brown helped turn voters away from Dukakis and towards the Republican, although Atwater and Bush were protected by plausible deniability because Brown's ads were independently funded and produced. Academic research into
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