Campaign craft : the strategies, tactics, and art of political campaign management

Shea presents a comprehensive guide to and analysis of modern political campaign communication, which will be of interest to the student of political campaigns and communication and to the professional involved in campaign management. Bringing to bear both academic and professional experience, Shea covers all aspects of present-day political campaigns, from understanding the context of the particular campaign (national trends, the media market, demographic research, etc.), to strategic thinking (developing an overall theme and strategy), and to specific voter contact techniques (the tactical use of fundraising, paid media, free media, and get-out-the-vote drives). Throughout the text, the author's discussion and analysis is peppered with examples from national- and state-level campaigns. This new text is a must for those interested in political communication in modern American government.