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We know that state legislative election campaigns have become increasingly expensive in recent years, but have they also become more professionally run? We assess the degree to which campaign professionals have proliferated in state legislative election campaigns & explain this development in terms of the institutional changes in state legislatures & the "congressionalization" of state legislative elections. Nearly 50% of all state legislative candidates answering our survey had hired professionals for their campaigns, using them mostly for direct mail, media advertising, campaign management, & polling. Open-seat candidates waged more professional campaigns than incumbents or their challengers. We find that campaign professionalism in state legislative elections is primarily a function of campaign spending, but that challengers hire professionals at lower spending levels. We also find that employing professionals improves the electoral performance of challengers, but not that of incumbents or open-seat candidates. 4 Tables, 1 Appendix, 72 References. Adapted from the source document.

Campaign finance reform has become a hotly debated issue at both the federal and state levels. Maine and Arizona became the first states to implement a fully subsidized public finance system for legislative candidates during the 2000 election. Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Hawaii have provided partial public funding to legislative candidates for several elections. The experiences of these states provide an opportunity to evaluate public funding programs. This study addresses the question: Does public funding reduce the time that candidates devote to fundraising? Using data comprising a representative nationwide sample, we demonstrate that candidates who accepted full public funding spent less time raising money than other candidates, including those who accepted partial public funding. We conclude that full public funding has the potential to redirect modern campaign efforts away from the "money chase," freeing time for other campaign activities.

Describes the variation in ballot designs across the states, and some problems of individual state designs; recommendations.

Presidential, gubernatorial, & congressional campaigns became increasingly professional during the second half of the 20th century, employing political consultants & professional aides for management, fund-raising, communications, polling, & many other electioneering activities. This study examines the diffusion of innovations from these elections to down ballot races. We use a national survey of candidates to compare the professionalism of statewide, congressional, state legislative, local, & judicial offices in terms of campaign spending, funding sources, election techniques, & the employment of campaign professionals. We find evidence of increasing campaign professionalism for state legislative & judicial campaigns. Campaigns for local offices remain largely inexpensive, volunteer affairs. 6 Tables, 1 Appendix, 77 References. Adapted from the source document.