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Campaign Communications in U.S. Congressional Elections

Author

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  • DRUCKMAN, JAMES N.
  • KIFER, MARTIN J.
  • PARKIN, MICHAEL

Abstract

Electoral campaigns are the foundation of democratic governance; yet scholarship on the content of campaign communications remains underdeveloped. In this paper, we advance research on U.S. congressional campaigns by integrating and extending extant theories of campaign communication. We test the resulting predictions with a novel dataset based on candidate Web sites over three election cycles. Unlike television advertisements or newspaper coverage, Web sites provide an unmediated, holistic, and representative portrait of campaigns. We find that incumbents and challengers differ across a broad range of behavior that reflects varying attitudes toward risk, that incumbents’ strategies depend on the competitiveness of the race, and that candidates link negative campaigning to other aspects of their rhetorical strategies. Our efforts provide researchers with a basis for moving toward a more complete understanding of congressional campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Druckman, James N. & Kifer, Martin J. & Parkin, Michael, 2009. "Campaign Communications in U.S. Congressional Elections," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 103(3), pages 343-366, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:103:y:2009:i:03:p:343-366_99
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    Cited by:

    1. Yaru Tang & Mengdi Liu & Fan Xia & Bing Zhang, 2024. "Informal regulation by nongovernmental organizations enhances corporate compliance: Evidence from a nationwide randomized controlled trial in China," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 234-257, January.
    2. Morelli, Massimo & Gennaro, Gloria & Lecce, Giampaolo, 2021. "Mobilization and the Strategy of Populism Theory and Evidence from the United States," CEPR Discussion Papers 15686, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Taewoo Kang, 2024. "Political Campaigns’ Use of E-mail vs. Television Advertising," Studies in Media and Communication, Redfame publishing, vol. 12(2), pages 337-345, June.
    4. Brian Fogarty & David Kimball & Lea Kosnik, 2016. "The Media, Voter Fraud, and the 2012 Elections," Working Papers 1012, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Department of Economics.
    5. Vishal P. Baloria & Kenneth J. Klassen, 2018. "Supporting Tax Policy Change Through Accounting Discretion: Evidence from the 2012 Elections," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(10), pages 4893-4914, October.

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