Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell

Political consultants often move effortlessly from campaigners to policymakers, but little is known about consultants#x19; attitudes, beliefs, and strategies. Do they create campaign messages based on campaign context, the candidate#x19;s traits, or both? Do consultants see a connection between how candidates campaign and how they govern? This book provides a clearer understanding of modern-day political campaigns by revealing what is on the minds of the people who run them. With original data from consultants, campaign managers, and professional campaign schools, author Jason Johnson examines consultant behavior on message formation, policy positioning, candidate recruitment, and negative advertising and compares these practices to existing political science theory. This groundbreaking research makes Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sella must-have resource for all students of American politics, campaign managers, or anyone interested in how political campaigns in America are run.

Jason Johnson is a professor of political, science at Hiram College in Ohio. He works regularly as a political commentator and contributor for radio, television, and newspaper outlets, and has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, the O'Reilly Factor, CBS's The Early Show, Al Jazeera English, and CNN. Dr. Johnson is the politics editor for The Source magazine and is a featured writer on theLoop21.com.