The Small Scale of Most Congressional Campaigns

This video shows Elizabeth Warren, a candidate for the United States Senate in Massachusetts, making a campaign speech to a group of supporters.

For the purposes of studying congressional campaigns (and thinking about how electoral imperatives shape the behavior of members of Congress and institutions created by members of Congress, like parties and committees), the important thing about this video is the setting. Elizabeth Warren is giving this speech to maybe a couple of dozen people packed into someone's living room, and she is an unusually high-profile and well-funded candidate seeking a United States Senate seat. Congressional campaigns are dominated by these kinds of small-scale events.

As for the substance of here remarks, you can read favorable commentary here and some criticism here and here. These are not required for class, though.