I will be analyzing whether the candidates’ campaign tactics are ethical, which, in my view, gives voters an indication of how the candidate would govern. An ethical campaign informs the electorate. Using this standard, I will be analyzing campaign communications to determine if they are truthful, fair, and relevant. I will be on the lookout for deceptive practices and will ask myself whether the candidate is promising something he or she can’t deliver. I will hope for disclosure of political obligations and pre-commitments. I will be on the alert for coordination with super PACS and expect that a candidate will repudiate super PAC attack ads that don’t comport with his or her standards. To paraphrase John Kasich, hopefully the candidates will not take the low road to the highest office in the land. If the primary season offers any indication, I fear those hopes will be dashed.?
Director , Government Ethics Program, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics