Outside Money Soft Money and Issue Advocacy in the 1998 Congressional Elections

What do you do if you're running for office and all of a sudden, a flood of campaign attack ads inundates you from sources unknown, unregulated, and with seemingly unlimited funding? Even supportive ads from such sources of "outside money" can be problematic, as several Republican congressional candidates discovered the hard way during the "Operation Breakout" party soft money campaign against President Clinton during the 1998 election. Outside Money describes the nature and effect of such phenomena using information based on field research in 16 competitive congressional races, elite interviews with candidates and funders, and a network of campaign consultants and professional staffers. Offering the first systematic examination of the full range of campaign communications by interest groups (from direct mail to Internet) along with its analysis of soft money strategies and effects, Outside Money illustrates the shift to the "ground war" by parties and groups in 1998 and the relative success of issue-oriented Democratic strategies compared to character attacks by the Republicans. Election year 2000 is certain to contribute its own chapter to this story of the power of outside money in campaigns, and the challenge to electoral democracy it poses.