Campaign Financing

December 3, 2010

            It has been an interesting journey to get to this point. I can’t believe this will be my final blog entry! In conclusion, I figured I would discuss an important aspect of the campaign trail that I hadn’t previously had a chance to touch upon, campaign financing. Campaign finance refers to the fundraising and spending that political candidates do in their election campaigns. Candidates often devote substantial time and effort raising money to finance campaigns. There have been many laws introduced and enforced upon campaign financing resulting in campaign finance reforms. Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. Campaigns include many expenditures, like the cost of traveling and the cost of purchasing advertisement. There are regulations on what types of donations to political parties and campaigns are acceptable. At the federal level, the primary source of campaign funds is individuals; and secondly comes political action committees, or PACs. Races for non-federal offices are governed by state and local law. Both of the major candidates running for Massachusetts’ 10^th District, Republican Jeff Perry and Democrat Bill Keating, were influenced and affected by campaign funding in their quest for capturing the seat.

            For both of the candidates running for the 10^th District of Massachusetts, as well as any other congressional election, raising money is an important aspect of the campaign trail. The Federal Election Committee lists all of the money each candidate running has received. This website lists Republican candidate Perry receiving single donations as much as $22,000 but also independent expenditures being spent against him for as much as $87,000 in one donation. OpenSecret, an organization that tracts political campaign contributions, found that Democratic candidate Keating raised more than $1.1 million and spent close to $950,000 over the course of his campaign trail. This site lists Republican Jeff Perry as raising $940,000 and spending about $700,000. Keating received $270,000 in PAC contributions and $900,000 in individual contributions, while Perry received $100,000 from PACs and $830,000 in individuals. Considering Keating won the election, this raises the question of how much of an impact campaign financing plays on the outcome of an election. Does the candidate with the most money always win, and is this fair?

            I hope you have learned quite a bit about congressional elections by following my coverage of the 10^th District of Massachusetts. It proved to be an exciting and stimulating campaign trail. I look forward to next time!

William R. Keating (D)

Raised:	$1,169,720
Spent:	$945,438
Cash on Hand:	$224,280
Last Report:	October 13, 2010

	PAC contributions	$268,435	(23%)
	Individual contributions	$898,165	(77%)
	Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
	Other	$3,120	(0%)

Jeff Perry (R)

Raised:	$943,633
Spent:	$709,929
Cash on Hand:	$233,703
Last Report:	October 13, 2010

	PAC contributions	$107,551	(11%)
	Individual contributions	$831,644	(88%)
	Candidate self-financing	$288	(0%)
	Other	$4,150	(0%)

Journalists on 2010 Midterm Elections

Below is an interesting video I found where Chris Cillizza, a respected political blogger, spoke about the 2010 midterm election results and challenges facing Republican and Democratic members in the 112th Congress. He also responded to questions from the audience. Source: C-Span.

 

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/296536-2

Critical Elections & Electoral Realignments

November 9, 2010

            After the results of the November 2^nd Midterm Election, we have learned that the Republicans have gained control of the House of Representatives. Because we have had a Democratic President, and the House and Senate controlled by the Democrats for the past two years, this marks a big change that will be occurring in our government in these next couple months. The Republicans gaining control of the House proves how this was a critical midterm election and how the country is realigning because of it.

To break it down, the House of Representatives now has 239 Republicans and 189 Democrats. The Republicans needed 39 seats to gain control and in the end gained over 60+ seats, therefore at the same time the Democrats lost 60 seats.  The reason why this is so monumental is because historically the shift in these numbers hasn’t been to this large of an extent. In 2006, the Democrats gained 31 seats and in 2008 they gained 24 seats. Since the Republicans gained over 60 seats this proves how much of an enormous impact this midterm election will have on our government when it officially changes in a couple months. The last three comparable surges like this once we are seeing now were during the Republican Revolution in 1994, where 54 seats changed, the Watergate Babies, when 48 seats changed, and a long time ago in 1948 when the Democrats picked up a large amount of seats. This once again reiterates how much of an impact this election will have considering so many seats changed and the Republicans took control of the House.

The House Republican Leader is John Boehner and he has a long road ahead of him as far as the things he wants to accomplish now that the Republicans are in control. Boehner vowed to fulfill his party's "pledge" to cut spending and reduce the size of government, saying he's willing to work with President Obama if he "respects the will of the people" and changes course. Now that the Democrats don’t have complete control over the government and the Republicans have taken over the House, it will be interesting to see the changes that are made over the course of the next two years!

*Map of the United States, Democratic vs. Republican states, after November 2, 2010 Midterm Election. Source: Fox News.

The Conclusion: Elections & Governance

November 2, 2010

William Keating, flanked by his wife, Tevis, and his daughter, Kristen, delivers his congressional victory speech at the Neighborhood Club in Quincy Tuesday night. The Democrat waged a blistering campaign against Republican Jeffrey Perry of Sandwich.CCT/Christine Hochkeppel

Jeffrey Perry, of Sandwich, sprints to the stage at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis Tuesday night to thank his supporters in his Republican bid for Congress.

Cape Cod Times/Merrily Cassidy

           

            Today is the day! It has finally arrived.  After following the race for the 10^th District of Massachusetts closely for the past few months, I was very excited to hear the outcome when the polls closed tonight. Because this is such a tight race, it was really hard to make a prediction this morning which candidate would end up pulling this one off. But in the end, the Democratic candidate Bill Keating ended up being victorious! This race marks who important the constituency influence is in Congress.

The Republican candidate, Jeff Perry, came up short tonight by only 5 percentage points. The race was tight throughout the night and the numbers were slow to come in throughout the district. According to the Cape Cod Times, Keating received 132,582 (47%) while Perry received 119,829 (42%). As far as the three independent candidates, Maryanne Lewis made the biggest impact, receiving 16,673 (6%). James Sheets, who was seen by some as a political move to take votes away from Keating, received 10,438 (4%). He was viewed in this light because he is friends with Republican Ron Kaufman who is a powerful figure that endorsed Perry. Lastly, Joseph van Nes, who was just barely old enough to even run for Congress, received 3,075 (1%).

This race gained national attention because it was the only highly contested race in Massachusetts. It is extremely important to recognize that although Perry did not beat Keating, this race once again shows the political changes in the usually very Democratic state of Massachusetts. Many say the state is shifting towards being a Republican state after years and years of a reputation of being extremely Democratic. In January of 2010, Republican Scott Brown won the late senator Ted Kennedy’s spot (who had held the seat since 1972) and this monumental event marked the change that is occurring throughout this state.

            Keating will be taking the place of U.S. Representative William Delahunt who decided to retire after seven terms in the House of Representatives. The results of this race show how important the constituency influence is in Congress and how every single vote has the ability to affect what is happening in Washington. Election Day was particularly important this year due to the closeness of so many races and the opportunity for one party or the other to gain or lose control of the House and the Senate.

Final Week on the Campaign Trail

October 27, 2010

Republican Jeff Perry of Sandwich, left, accursed Democrat William Keating of Quincy, right, are running for the 10th Congressional seat. Cape Cod Times Photos

            With only a week left until Election Day arrives, many times the polls and political websites are a great way to predict election results. In terms of election forecasts, the New York Times Race Rating describes Massachusetts’ 10^th Congressional District as a “tossup” race. The FiveThirtyEight is statistical model that I used in my research which takes into account very reputable polls like the UNH, the MassINC Polling Group, and NMB Research polls to predict election results. The FiveThirtyEight model predicts that this district has a 59% chance of a Democratic win which would mean success for the Democratic candidate Bill Keating. Based on polling, expert forecasts, fundraising and past election returns and other indicators, there is a prediction of how the district will vote on November 2. Right now, as of October 26, the FiveThirtyEight Forecast is projecting the vote at 49.3% for Keating and 47.8% for Republican candidate Jeff Perry in terms of Projected Election results. Keating has a +1.5 lead over Perry. These numbers do a great job of showing just how close this election is going to be. With a race that has the opportunity to go either way, every single vote is going to be important.

In terms of the chance the candidates have for winning the seat, Keating has a 58.1% lead over Perry’s 42.0%. These figures are based on the chance that each candidate will win based on 100,000 simulations with random variation in the local and national political environment. Simply stated, this is the percentage chance that the candidate wins the race. These numbers reflect a very different election forecast because they are predicting the election in a different way. In my opinion the projected vote election results are a better way of judging who will take this district.

With only six days left until their fate is determined, Perry and Keating are spending their last week busily rallying to get voters to the polls. If the election forecasts are correct, Democratic candidate Bill Keating will be representing the people of the Massachusetts 10^th Congressional District. But with a race this close only time will tell!

Civility Takes Center Stage in Debate

The candidates for the 10th Congressional District, from left, James Sheets, Maryanne Lewis, Joseph van Nes, William Keating and Jeffrey Perry, participate in Thursday night's debate at Cape Cod Community College. The event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Cape Cod Times. Cape Cod Times/Ron Schloerb

October 19, 2010

           Considering this week we were free to choose what to write our weekly entry on, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to talk about the debate that took place on Thursday October 15. The debate took place in West Barnstable at Cape Cod Community College which is interesting to me because it is the town that I live in.  

           According to the Cape Cod Times, the President of the League of Women Voters for Cape Cod asked the candidates for civility and all five of them cooperatively complied. The Republican candidate Jeff Perry and Democratic candidate William Keating set only inches apart. But topics that are normally up for discussion like debate over Perry’s controversial past as a police officer and Keating’s campaign contributions were never brought up.

            Perry and Keating were joined in the debate by three candidates running as Independents for the 10^th Congressional District of Massachusetts, Maryanne Lewis of Scituate, James Sheets of Quincy, and Joseph van Nes of Martha’s Vineyard. This was a rare opportunity for van Nes and Sheets to participate in the debate because they had been barred from other forums. Although there were a few jabs at one another, it was nowhere near the intense animosity that normally dominates the debate stage. Most of the drama occurred before the candidates even arrived at the forum, when the league officials asked the supporters to take off their buttons and turn their t-shirts inside out because they were attempting to “maintain a bipartisan atmosphere.”

            The candidates shared and discussed their views on things like Cape wind, unemployment, Social Security, and Cape Cod’s wastewater issues. Most of the candidates agreed that the federal government should assist the Cape communities by funding new sewer systems and solutions to clean up the bays.

            The two party candidates’ opinions varied on the Bush-era tax cuts. Democratic candidate Keating said he wants to restore the tax cuts for everyone, but the top 2% of income earners. He also wants to close military bases in Eastern Europe in order to start decreasing the national debt. Republican candidate Perry on the other hand, stated that Congress should’ve reinstated those cuts before it adjourned. This made it clear that the two party candidates’ views on major issues differ greatly.  With just a few weeks left we are getting down to the wire!

Democrat William Keating and Republican Jeffrey Perry shake hands at the end of Thursday night's 10th Congressional District forum at Cape Cod Community College. The independent candidates in the race, Maryanne Lewis, James Sheets and Joseph van Nes, also participated in the debate.Cape Cod Times/Ron Schloerb

Voter Behavior & Incumbency

Jeff Perry, the Republican candidate for the Massachusetts 10th congressional district, left, and Democratic House candidate Bill Keating, take part in a debate at the New England Cable News, NECN, network studio in Newton, Mass., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

 

October 14, 2010

The race for the 10^th Congressional District is an interesting one in the way that there is no incumbent advantage. Because there is no incumbent it creates an opportunity from the start for both candidates to prevail. Therefore, the two party candidates running for this district Republican candidate Jeff Perry and Democratic candidate William Keating have an equal chance to win the election!

            On Wednesday, October 13 these two candidates squared off in a debate on NECN, New England Cable News network studio in Newton, Massachusetts. The three independent candidates weren’t invited to participate in this debate that was hosted by NECN’s Broadside with Jim Braude. One of the independent candidates, Maryanne Lewis tried to show up at the studio but she was turned away. Even so, she claimed she would be victorious in this race because of the opening she has due to Perry and Keating’s constant fighting. She claimed, “The voters are completely disenfranchised with our current two-party system” and that “they feel the nominees will toe party lines and will adhere to a national partisan agenda.”

            Inside the studio, Keating brought up the issue of Perry’s character and his incident as a Wareham police sergeant which I discussed last week during campaign scandals. But Perry fired back by telling the host Braude that he made no material misrepresentations on his 2007 application before the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, even though police and court records show that he did not initiate the investigation into the officer as he claimed in his answers on that application. He said that he "disclosed all material facts and, at the end of this, it's all political mudslinging."

Perry shot back at Keating by raising the issue of campaign contributions. He discussed how Keating was given a $1,545 campaign donation by a defense attorney that was representing a man who was being prosecuted on an attempted murder charge by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office. This is controversial because Keating is the District Attorney of this county so it is sketchy as to why he would be receiving funds from someone on the “other side.” But instead of directly responding to Perry’s accusation, Keating flipped it around and asked why Perry, who is a partner in a law firm that does some criminal work, gave donations to the district attorneys on the Cape and Islands and in Plymouth County. Perry simply responded by asking “I gave money to the DA?” State records show that Perry gave to both the Plymouth County and the Cape & Islands district attorney.

A race with no incumbent candidate creates an intense battle for this district. Clearly there are a lot of issues like this hidden under the rug and these political debates will definitely continue to shed light on them! SOURCE

Cape Wind & Campaign Strategy

October 8, 2010

             Campaign strategy plays a large role in the election process for any candidate. Campaign strategies include the plans that one has to put them at some sort of advantage over the other candidate(s). This approach can be formulated in a variety of ways and many times it gets very heated on the campaign trail. All five of the candidates running for Massachusetts 10^th Congressional District have their own campaign strategies that they think will help secure their chance at taking this district!

            I figured I would take this week to talk about one of the candidate’s campaign strategies. The Republican Jeff Perry has been focusing on the issue of the Cape Wind project to help gain support in his campaign. On Friday, on the shores of Craigville Beach, which I am proud to say is my favorite beach; Perry stated that the Cape Wind project is a “job killer.” He also said that he would do whatever he can to make sure the project doesn’t go forward. Members of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound were holding anti-wind farm signs nearby him on the beach.

            The reason why this is important is because Perry’s position on Cape Wind is very different to the Democratic candidates William Keating’s view on the issue. According to the Cape Cod Times, Keating started out the campaign opposed to the wind farm but he now supports it. He said he initially opposed the project because of computer images he saw that showed what it would look like. But his position on Cape Wind didn’t exactly “go” with his view that the country needed to stop depending so much on oil. Keating said that Cape Wind and renewable energy projects like Mass Maritime Academy and Woods Hole research would give Cape Cod the opportunity to become a leader in green jobs. On the other hand, Perry claims that the Cape Wind project would drain the economy. For instance, electricity for a small grocery store would increase about $500 a month if the Department of Public Utilities gives the “green light” on this project.

            There are many issues that arise on the campaign trail. Campaign strategy serves as a way for the candidates to voice their opinions and shape how they’re going to model their movement. Candidates Jeff Perry and William Keating have used their opposing views on things like the Cape Wind project in order for each of them to individually gain support on the different sides of the spectrum.

Scandal Surfaces on the Campaign Trail

As the days pass on in the race for Massachusetts’ 10^th District, I figure it is important to focus more on the candidates and get deeper into the politics behind the race itself. That’s why this week I will be focusing on scandals surrounding Republican candidate Jeff Perry and how they have already been and will continue to be, ugly campaign issues in the upcoming weeks.

Perry is now a four-term Sandwich State Representative, but he has also had an extensive career in the state of Massachusetts. When Perry was a Wareham police sergeant he was supervising Officer Scott Flanagan when the patrolman illegally strip-searched two 16 year-old and 14 year-old girls, on two separate occasions. In 1993, Flanagan was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to indecent assault and civil rights violations. Perry supported Flanagan up until his guilty plea, saying he assumed Flanagan was innocent. What many find scandalous is that Perry was never charged with any crimes. He was named in two civil suits, but charges were never brought against him. According to newspaper reports, Perry’s 2010 recollections about the December 31, 1992 incident are contradictory to what was documented. He claims he notified his supervisor immediately about the ’92 incident, but records indicate that he didn’t do so until the following day, after the girl’s parents come to the station to file a complaint, that Perry filed the report to notify his supervisor.

                Another controversy surrounding Republican candidate Jeff Perry is regarding a claim from his 2002 campaign website. Controversy arose this year over the fact that in 2002 his website claimed he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with honors from “Columbia State University.” This is an unaccredited “diploma mill” that distributed fake diplomas until it was shut down by federal agents in 1998 after investigations showed evidence that CSU had absolutely no academic rigor. Recently, Perry has acknowledge that he paid CSU “several thousand dollars” after he was under the impression that it was actually an accredited institution. He later earned legitimate degrees from Curry College and New England School of Law.

                So after hearing the controversies surrounding Jeff Perry, what are your thoughts? Do you think these are legitimate reasons that he is unfit to represent that state of Massachusetts? Or do you think these are minor flukes that every candidate has hidden in his or her past?

Sources:

·         http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20100516dem_cop_scandal_will_haunt_jeffrey_perry_campaign_candidate_was_never_charged/

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Perry_(politician)#Wareham_police_controversy

Jeff Perry's "Wake Up Washington"

September 25, 2010
Wake Up Washington

Here's an example of how youtube and the internet are making it easier to spread the message and voice the ideas of the campaign....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW7eydtXoH4&feature=player_embedded

The Candidates Opinions on Policies and Issues

September 24, 2010
The Candidates Opinions on Policies and Issues



Republican Candidate PERRY on the campaign trail

           In the matter of a week, major changes have occurred in the race for the 10^th Congressional District of Massachusetts. The final results of the primary have been announced with Bill Keating winning the Democratic candidacy and Jeff Perry for the Republicans. Considering we are finally down to the wire, with the final two candidates announced, I figured it would be appropriate to go into the policies and ideals that these two candidates stand for.

            Bill Keating stands by the slogan “integrity, independence, and vision.” He plans to crack down on Wall Street abuses to keep our savings secure from another meltdown and will fight to create jobs by supporting small businesses and eliminating the barriers to hiring more workers. He wants to protect Social Security and our retirement savings from risky privatization schemes. Also, fighting for veterans and ensuring that they get the educational and health benefits that they have earned, including job training, access to loans, and additional assistance to veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, is an important goal for Keating.  He will vote to block wasteful spending and get the deficit under control by requiring offsets to new government spending.  Family is an important value to him and he vows to keep our families safe from the threat of terrorism by strengthening our intelligence capabilities and securing our borders. In terms of Perry’s policies on energy, he will protect the environment and create clean energy jobs in Massachusetts by investing in alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind, and bio-fuels.

            On the other hand, Republican candidate Jeff Perry has very different values and ideals. He is a strong believer in a responsible free enterprise system that lowers taxes, promotes opportunity, and encourages economic growth. In terms of health care, he is opposed to the health care legislation passed in Congress because he believes it will raise taxes, increase government spending, and decrease the quality of the care. For education, he is a strong supporter for the choice of charter schools and reforms to the funding formulas. Also, he would like to invest more financial resources in enforcing immigration laws. There are also many other additional policy issues that he speaks on which are listed on his website.

            With less than two months until Election Day, the intensity of the campaign is sure to increase as the days go on. I plan on keeping you updated on the latest news and the battles that are sure to come. In the upcoming weeks I will be focusing on different issues by comparing and contrasting the positions that both of the candidates take on these topics. The race for the 10^th Congressional District of Massachusetts continues on!

Democratic Candidate KEATING

Sources:

http://www.billkeating2010.com/vision

http://jeffperryforcongress.com/issues

Final Results!

9/15/10

According to New York Times:

Results as of September 14th Primary

Republicans	Votes	Pct.
Jeff Perry	31,760	61%
Joe Malone	16,046	31%
Robert Hayden	2,363	5%
Ray Kasperowicz	2,242	4%

Democrats	Votes	Pct.
Bill Keating	29,324	51%
Rob O'Leary	28,363	49%

Primary Election Day in the 10th Congressional District of Massachusetts

9/14/10        

    Today is a big day! September 14, 2010 marks an important day in the race for the 10^th District of Massachusetts because it is finally the day of the primary. As of 10 PM tonight the results are not yet fully released, but I am anxiously awaiting them.  The primary represents an extremely significant part in the congressional election process.  The Republican and Democratic parties are about to face off in a heated race until the general election takes place in November.

            In the Republican primary, preliminary results show State Representative Jeff Perry with an early advantage over former State Treasurer Joe Malone and the two other Republican candidates (Robert Hayden and Ray Kasperowicz).  It has become pretty clear that Jeff Perry will easily take the Republican candidacy due to his extremely strong lead in the polls so far. Joe Malone will most likely be the runner-up because the other two candidates have very, very small support.

As far as the Democratic primary, State Senator Robert O’Leary and District Attorney William Keating are in a race that is too close to call at this point in time. I can’t wait to find out tomorrow who actually pulls this one off by the skin of their teeth. This race is going to come down to a matter of a few votes. In my opinion, I think that Bill Keating is going to narrowly win the primary at the last moment.

            Once the candidates have been narrowed down and the final results of the primary are announced, I will be very interested in watching the campaigns of these candidates unfold. In the past couple weeks I’ve had a difficult time covering this election because there have been so many candidates in the running for the 10^th District of Massachusetts. But, finally tomorrow the race will be narrowed down to just two.

These two candidates, the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries, will face off in the general election on November 2, 2010 and we will find out who is going to succeed the current U.S. Representative William Delahunt.  Over the next few months I will do my best to keep you updated as much as possible on the status of the campaign trail between the Republican and Democratic candidates!

Video of Democratic Candidate Bill Keating's Primary Victory Speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asqtqkx3Q1g&feature=player_embedded

Republican Candidate Jeff Perry:

Sources:

*http://www.wickedlocal.com/capecod/features/x827973570/Perry-takes-Republican-primary-for-10th-congressional-district-seat

*http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/massachusetts/10

Congressional Elections

September 8, 2010

This semester I will be focusing my attention on the 10th congressional district of Massachusetts. This district includes the territories of the south shore, Cape Cod, and the islands. I chose Massachusetts's 10th congressinal district because it is my district at home and interests me the most since it is relevant to my life.

The 10th District has existed for hundreds of years, since 1795 to be exact. It has a poplation of over 630,000 people and is the most populated of all of Massachusetts's ten districts. It consists of over 934 square miles and is the second largest district in terms of area. The majority of the people residing in this district are White, making u 92% of the population, but there are also small percentages of Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American people. The population is 54% urban and 46% rural with a median income of $51,928.

The Cook Partisan Voting Index also referred to as the Cook PVI, measures how strongly a congressional district leans toward a political party compared to the nation as a whole. Massachusetts's 10th District scored a D+5 by the Cook PVI and it is the most conservative district in the state of Massachusetts, which is known for being an extremely Democratic state.

Bill Delahunt, a Democrat from Quincy, MA, has been representing this district since 1997. On March 5, 2010 he announced he would not be running for reelection. This caused a scramble among both Democrats and Republicans to succeed him. In April, Democratic State Senator Robert O'Leary announced he would be running for this seat. William Keating, a democrat and the District Attorney of Norfolk County, who is a former State Senator and former State Representative, is also in the running for the seat. There are a number of Republican and Independent candidates running for election for this district as well. I am excited to see the results of the primary next week so we can get this race started!

Because I have such a love for politics and because this race directly effects my life at home, I am interesed in learning more about these individual candidates and watching this race closely over the next few months. I am very excited that the incumbent is retiring because it creates an opportunity for change and for a new face to represent the 10th District of Massachusetts. Here we go!