January 21, 2010, 01:02 PM

In a much-anticipated decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court virtually gutted an important section of campaign finance law that prohibited corporate spending in elections.

Politicians, campaign finance lawyers and politicos had been waiting for the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision since it was reargued before the Court in early October with either great anticipation or great fear – depending on what side of the issue they were on. In a five-to-four decision on Thursday, the Court said the government cannot restrict corporate and union spending on ads and other election communications that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate in the days leading up to an election.

February 02, 2010, 11:37 AM

Joined by a few hundred of our friends, sources and clients, the Politics magazine family handed out the 2010 Reed Awards on Friday night in Washington, D.C.

The Reed Awards, sponsored this year by Aristotle, recognize excellence in campaign management, political consulting and political technology. There were more than 50 categories for television ads, direct mail, GOTV operations and new media. The competition also includes 10 special categories such as “Best Campaign Comeback,” “Best Villain Used in Political Media” and “Most Explosive Collaboration of the Year.”

For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we’ve posted all the winning entries on politicsmagazine.com.

February 08, 2010, 11:13 AM

In the unlikely event that you haven’t yet seen it, California Republican Carly Fiorina’s Senate campaign released a curious three and a half minute web video last week. It takes aim at her GOP primary opponent Tom Campbell, calling him a “fiscal conservative in name only.”

The video has all your standard attack ad elements—sheep falling from pillars in the sky after an ominous lightening strike, not to mention the guy in a sheep suit complete with glowing red Demon eyes. Ok, so the ad is just a bit outside the box. But so is the man who made it—Republican ad guru Fred Davis.

December 16, 2009, 09:13 AM

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) is running for Governor. Since it is now obvious that Honolulu’s Mayor, Mufi Hannemann -- who is virtually omnipresent in the Hawaii media – will challenge Abercrombie for the Democratic nomination, the Congressman realized he needs to be back home, and fast. Thus, Abercrombie announced that he will leave his federal post to fully concentrate on campaigning for Governor.

Immediately dogged by his fellow Democrats for abandoning the House before the healthcare legislation is passed and key bills pertaining to the classification of Hawaii’s native population are dispensed with, Abercrombie immediately backtracked to say he will leave after these bills pass. But, as he told the local media, that time will come soon.

January 20, 2010, 12:31 PM

Last night's special election in Massachusetts was a huge win for Scott Brown and Republicans and we have a lot to learn from the election about the way that the winning coalition is shifting and how we can tap into populist sentiment nationwide.
 
While fully understanding what happened and how we can use the lessons from Massachusetts around the country will take time, here are five lessons from Massachusetts in the form of more-or-less famous quotes.

February 05, 2010, 03:57 PM

Campaigns & Elections' Politics Magazine today announced that it will be launching a Canadian edition beginning next month. The magazine will be a state-of-the-art digital edition and will be distributed electronically.

This launch, along with the recently unveiled Latin American edition, joins the U.S. flagship publication in broadening the reach of Campaigns & Elections by tens of thousands of political and public affairs professionals throughout the hemisphere.

“Readership of the original Campaigns & Elections’ Politics Magazine in Canada has always been strong,” said Jordan Lieberman, the publisher of Politics. This will build on decades of success and ensure that information about important developments in the world of politics, campaigns and elections are accessible to all.”