Download Alliance for Self

Challenging Established Political Institutions
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nothing will change
unless we change it
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Americans are dissatisfied
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81 percent are dissatisfied with how the nation is being governed
60 percent of likely voters see government as the problem
(Only the political class disagrees)
Polls show that Americans believe the federal government has
“lost the consent of the governed.”
(Only 20% say the government has the consent of the governed.)
And increasingly Americans believe Congress “is incapable of
tackling our most pressing challenges”
U.S. House, November 2010
17%
Approval rating
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Gap
86%
Accountability
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
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0
Re-election rate
Congress has rigged the system
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Money
Name recognition
Party protection
Possible threats
The longer they’re in office,
the more trouble we’re in
Percent of GDP
Congressional tenure
Federal, state, and local
spending as % of GDP
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Average tenure (years)
Americans believe in self-governance
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15 percent trust the federal government to do what is right
57 percent express confidence in their state government
70 percent trust their local government
73 percent of likely voters trust the American people more than
they trust their elected officials
What makes seats “safe”
No Change in Party
Seat Changed Party Hands
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1960s
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1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Winners are picked in the primary
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85% of US House districts are
controlled by one party
The average margin of victory
for incumbents in their general
election is 26%
Where the outcome is
really determined
General
Primary
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Turnout in primary elections is very low
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The average turnout is between 40,000 and 50,000
That means only 8-12 percent of the voting-age population
decides who will represent everybody else in Congress
The Strategy
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Empower Americans to hold incumbents accountable by
increasing primary turnout
Level the playing field by neutralizing advantages of
incumbency
Target long-time incumbents who are not representing
their constituencies
Our Plan: Level the Playing Field
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Vehicle: Campaign for Primary Accountability, a SuperPAC
Major Initiative: The Equalizer Campaign
Goal of the Equalizer Campaign: Overcome the messaging monopoly
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This means exposing incumbents’ records when challengers don’t have
the resources to do so
We cannot get a weak candidate elected, but we can
give a good candidate a fighting chance against an incumbent
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Execution and Results
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We use a mix of targeted media and field operations to expose
voters to incumbent voting records
And we build support for challengers
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Tactics: a targeted campaign, limited paid media
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In a typical district, we need to move 5,000-10,000 likely primary
voters, and 5,000-10,000 occasional primary voters
Door to door canvassing
Live and robo-calls
Direct mail
Digital/online/social media
Get Out The Vote activities
Bottom line
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The system has allowed – even encouraged – members of Congress
to focus their time and attention protecting themselves and
enriching their donors
They face few consequences for their overspending but the
consequences we face as a nation have never been more disturbing
The general elections allow them to escape accountability for their
ways
And when incumbents who survive our challenges discover they are
no longer invulnerable and that they can actually be fired, a new
spirit will descend on Congress
And we will regain control of our runaway federal government
Questions?
Paid for by Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC and not authorized by any candidate or
candidate’s committee. P.O. Box 22529, Houston, TX 77227-2528. (877) 795-8386
Contributions are not tax deductible. Campaign for Primary Accountability PAC is registered with the Federal Election
Commission as an independent expenditure committee and your contribution will be used in connection with federal
elections. Unlimited contributions from U.S. citizens, corporations and other organizations are permitted and accepted,
except that we cannot accept contributions from foreign nationals, foreign corporations, federal government contractors
and national banks. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address,
occupation and employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 this year.
Early Success
We’re already
making incumbents
less secure
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