Stephen Caroyl Shadegg (December 8, 1909 – April 16, 1990) was a conservative political consultant, public relations specialist, and writer from his adopted city of Phoenix, Arizona.
[3][4] In the late 1940s, he developed a political and religious philosophy based on evangelical principles and opposition to liberal social policy, though he continued to worship as an Episcopalian.
For the general election, his western states assignment was Region VII: Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii.
[13] This book frankly describes Shadegg's belief that voters who are indifferent to issues and are easily led to vote even against their own interests provide the margin of victory in elections.
[17] In 1972, he published The New How to Win an Election, which Jeff Greenfield called "staggeringly unreadable" and criticized for relying too closely on his earlier book, with its regional focus and Eisenhower-era issues and its lack of updated material.
[18] Others have found Shadegg's emphasis on developing networks of interpersonal communication, which he called social precincts, an early articulation of a strategy now widely recognized as important.
Following its publication by William Morrow & Company, the two successfully sued their original publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovich for rejecting the manuscript after failing to respond to their requests for editorial assistance.