ABSTRACT
American political consulting began with the work of Whitaker and Baxter in the 1930s and came into its own in the 1960s. When television came into its own, candidates first turned to commercial advertisers, then in the mid-1960s to specialists who concentrated on media for political campaigns. Private political polling began in the mid-1950s and has emerged as a principal strategy for campaigns in the 1970s. Most early consultants were generalists, but with a second and third generation of consultants appearing in the 1970s through the 1990s, more niche markets were created: in fundraising, telemarketing, direct mail, candidate and opposition research, media buying, and voter data base management. Approaching the 21st century, the business of political consulting was growing and increasingly competitive. Consultants branched out to corporate and issue advocacy clients, ballot issues, state and local candidates, and international elections.
