Focus groups helped to test the language of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s 1994 “Contract with America.” Republican promotion of the contract included purchasing a prominent advertisement in TV Guide. This copy was displayed by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich during and after the 1994 congressional election campaign at televised press events. Informal activities and strategies continue to have tremendous influence on politics, notably in public opinion surveys and the ways candidates present themselves to the voters through campaign advertising, news coverage, press conferences, debates, and the Internet.
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