Study Group with Arnon Mishkin: How Political Campaigns deal with the polarized America: The importance of “organization” – and the declining impact of traditional “persuasion

Join us on Wednesday, October 27 at 5:00pm ET for a Study Group with IOP Resident Fellow Arnon Mishkin. 

How Political Campaigns deal with the polarized America: The importance of “organization” – and the declining impact of traditional “persuasion”

Political campaigns used to focus on tailoring arguments to appeal to voters, rather than the Depression-era myth of urban bosses paying off voters to get them to vote. From the 60’s through the 80’s campaigns started putting the bulk of their money into TV advertising which proved most effective in persuading voters. But in recent years, both because campaigns concluded that there is an upper limit to how many voters can be shifted and because of improvements in the tools of direct voter contact, campaigns have increased their focus on motivating persuaded voters to cast ballots. We will look at the results of recent elections in Texas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania to discuss how partisanship has changed campaign tactics.

Arnon will be joined virtually by Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to President Bush and Fox News Political Analyst.

*RSVP by 10:00am ET on 10/27. You must register through this form and a limited number of seats will be allocated for in-person participation. We will notify you at noon the day of the study group via your Harvard email whether you will be joining in-person or via Zoom. 

*AUDIENCE: These conversations are open to members of the Harvard community. Please RSVP with a valid Harvard email address.

*OFF-THE-RECORD: In keeping with our long tradition at the IOP to ensure honest and candid discussions of politics, all IOP study groups are off-the-record.

*The Institute of Politics is strictly observing all HKS COVID health and safety protocols. HKS buildings are closed to the public and attendance will be limited to the room capacity. You will be asked to show a Harvard ID prior to entry and doors to the space will open 10 minutes before the start time. Unvaccinated persons should make every effort to practice social distancing. Everyone must wear a mask indoors. No eating or drinking is permitted at indoor events.