- Front porch campaign
A front porch campaign is low-key electoral campaign used in
American politics in which the candidate remains close to or at home to make speeches to supporters who come to visit. The candidate largely does not travel around or otherwise actively campaign. The successful presidential campaigns ofJames A. Garfield in1880 andWilliam McKinley in1896 are perhaps the two best-known front porch campaigns.McKinley's opposing candidate,
William Jennings Bryan , gave over 600 speeches and traveled many miles all over the United States to campaign, but McKinley outdid this by spending about twice as much money campaigning. While McKinley was at hisCanton, Ohio , home conducting his "front-porch campaign",Mark Hanna was out raising millions to help with the campaign.Another president that had been known for his front porch campaign was
Warren G. Harding during the presidential election of 1920.The concept remains in use in American politics, and was used in June 2008 by U.S. Senator
Jeff Sessions to describe his low-key renomination bid inAlabama 's Republican primary where he received 92 percent of the vote. [Rawls, Phillip. (June 4, 2008)Associated Press " [http://www.nbc15online.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=38299843-717a-4080-a429-f47e64282371 Incumbent Jeff Sessions wins Senate nomination in Alabama.] "]Notes
References
* [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BN&p_theme=bn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF9944C3335E4E&p_field_direct-0=document_id A Front-Porch Campaign for Citizen Dole.] (May 22, 1996)
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20040719-1326-frontporchpolitics.html Front-porch campaign: You and the candidate – and 30 cameras.] (July 19, 2004)
* [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-98609742.html Kerry announces Front Porch offensive.] (September 2, 2004)
* [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31900545_ITM Back-porch politics in 5th District race.] (July 16, 2007)
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