s also raised their money from different sources than did Democratic and Republican contestants. The greatest difference is that federal and state candidates in the former group raised an average of 56 percent of their resources from personal funds and loans, a much higher proportion of self-funders than among Democrats or Republicans (20 percent). Individuals and interest groups, including political action committees, were also significantly more likely to support major party candidates. It is interesting to note that both minor and major party candidates drew roughly similar portions of their funds from party committees (19 percent) and public funding (2 percent). Third party and Independent candidates were found to spend considerably less time raising money than major party competitors. Only 21 percent of all minor party candidates devote more than 10 percent of their campaign schedule to fundraising, as opposed to 60 percent of major party candidates.Making Due with LessMinor party candidates for congressional, state legislative and statewide offices surveyed assembled largely amateur campaign organizations. They are much less professional than those organized by the two major parties' nominees. Major party candidates are 25 times more likely to use a paid professional to handle their direct mail, 15 times more likely to hire a professional pollster and almost five times more likely to enlist a consultant to produce campaign ads.Differences in the resources and motivation influence the strategies and communications employed by campaigns. Democrats and Republicans tend to be pragmatic, focusing their efforts on blocs of voters who can be fashioned into a winning coalition. Sixty-two percent of all major party-candidates used geodemographic targeting, choosing to contact voters on the basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or occupation. The remainder focused on single-issue voters, such as environmentalists or those on eit...
