For Better or Worse: How Political Consultants are Changing
Elections in the United States, David Dulio, Albany: State University
of New York Press, 2004, pp. xvii, 289.During the 2004 federal election, the media shone light on the
political consultants who were reportedly affiliated or somehow related to
Paul Martin's election campaign. By their account, the traditional
party machine, often viewed to be the primary, if not the only, actor in
political campaigns in Canada, seemed to have taken a backseat to the
expensive, polished and professional campaign machinery the private sector
had to offer. Campaign management through consultancy was now publicly
visible in Canada and reliance on the party machine, while still
important, seemed to face competition in terms of expertise and proximity
to power. However, the study of political campaigns and specifically, the
role of political consultants within campaigns, has received sparse
attention from the political science community outside of the United
States. Yet even in the US, in spite of the prevalent and pervasive
presence of political consultants in electoral politics, the study of this
group is relatively new.