Catalyst or Cataclysm? An Analysis of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" Program in the 2006 Midterm Elections

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fitzgerald, Keith

Keywords

Campaigns, Elections, Congress, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

"I know nothing grander, better exercise, better digestion, more positive proof of the past, the triumphant result of faith in human kind, than a wellcontested American national election." -Walt Whitman This thesis investigates the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's(DCCC) "Red to Blue" Program during the 2006 election cycle. The analysis contains narrative examinations of eight cases where the DCCC endorsed one primary candidate over another, to determine if the endorsements were effective at securing nominations for preferred candidates, and to see what negative repercussions were generated by the endorsements. Fifty-three cases are included in a broader analysis of the November general election, to determine if candidates in competitive districts are more likely to win depending on a range of variables, including candidate experience, the percentage of campaign funds originating with the DCCC, the timing of the DCCC's endorsements, and the partisan voting tendencies of the districts. The study concludes that, though the DCCC's preferred candidates usually won in primary elections, the 2006 election results suggest that the DCCC should not offer endorsements during primaries, as very few of the candidates so endorsed won their races in November. The study also notes the substantially higher success rates enjoyed by candidates endorsed during summer months, as opposed to those endorsed in the spring or autumn, and suggests that further research is needed into how the timing of endorsements potentially affects their efficacy.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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