The evolution of the modern political campaign has taken us from television sets in the living room to wireless new media in the hands of voters. Reaching voters with targeted messages, candidates increasingly rely on consumer-driven techniques. What works at the national level can be tailored to work even more effectively at the individual level. Future campaigns will continue to make use of recent innovations like meetups, blogs, and Internet polling. Newer tactics such as fundraising on the web and get out the vote drives with microtargeting via Blackberrys and PDAs are changing the way candidates advertise, ask for money, interact with the media, coordinate with their party organizations, and make the most of interest group support. What, then, are the implications for the democratic process and governance? To help students make sense of how and why campaigns are changing, well-respected scholars and practitioners keep their focus on the horizon of campaigning and offer a cutting-edge look at what to expect in the 2008 elections and beyond.

Contributors include Robert G. Boatright, Tad Devine, Peter L. Francia, Joseph Graf, Nina Therese Kasniunas, Wesley Y. Joe, Jeremy D. Mayer, Candice J. Nelson, Tari Renner, Mark J. Rozell, Richard J. Semiatin, Ronald G. Shaiko, Dick Simpson, and Clyde Wilcox.

Part I. The New Political Campaign

1. Introduction: Campaigns on the Cutting Edge
Richard J. Semiatin

2. Fundraising--Present and Future
Robert G. Boatright

3. Paid Media--In an Era of Revolutionary Change
Tad Devine

4. New Media--The Cutting Edge of Campaign Communications
Joseph Graf

5. Polling--Trends in the Early 21st Century
Candice J. Nelson

6. Voter Mobilization--Into the Future
Richard J. Semiatin

Part II. The Evolving Campaign: Adaptation by Political Institutions and Implications for Democracy

7. Political Parties--On the Path to Revitalization
Ronald G. Shaiko

8. Interest Groups and the Future of Campaigns
Nina Therese Kasniunas and Mark J. Rozell

9. Campaign Press Coverage--At the Speed of Light
Jeremy D. Mayer

10. Campaign Finance Reform--Present and Future
Peter L. Francia, Wesley Y. Joe, and Clyde Wilcox

11. Election Administration--Trends in the 21st Century
Tari Renner

12. Campaigns and Democracy--Into a New Era
Dick Simpson

"This book is an authoritative and wide-ranging exploration of the way politics really works in America. It will be indispensable for political managers, strategists, and organizers. The combination of real world experience and first-rate scholarship will fascinate political scientists and political junkies alike."

"This book presents an engaging description of the state of contemporary and future campaign politics in the United States. From fundraising to polling to the new media, a fine team of scholars covers what's new—and not so new—about political campaigning on the eve of the 2008 election and beyond."

"New technologies have revolutionized the ways candidates, parties, and political groups wage campaigns and communicate with voters. These essays provide a timely analysis of the changes taking place in campaign practices and present the contours of the digitized, individualized electioneering that will become commonplace in future campaigns."

Richard J. Semiatin is assistant professor of government at American University. He was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to participate in their Political Engagement Project (PEP) from 2002 to 2005. Semiatin specializes in campaigns and elections and is the author of the book Campaigns in the 21st Century, as well as book chapters, articles, and six monographs.