ABSTRACT
Candidates need campaigns to accomplish their principal objective of winning elective office. They need to learn about public concerns and to convince voters that they will address those concerns satisfactorily. The electorate needs the campaign as well: to voice its needs, espouse its interests, and gain the information necessary to follow the political debate and then vote intelligently. If the amount of information most people have or are interested in knowing is any indication of what the public desires or is capable of learning, then candidates should articulate basic themes and then illustrate them with a few salient issues presented simply and repeatedly. In a campaign, it is better to seem authentic but leave little to chance. Authenticity requires the appearance of candor, conviction, and conversational skills. Candidates obviously need to make their own cases and trumpet their qualifications for office. They have to articulate reasons for voting for themselves and against their opponents.
