The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns

by Hillygus, D. Sunshine; Shields, Todd G.

• ISBN13: 9781400831593
• ISBN10: 1400831598
• Copyright: 2009-08-30
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

The use of wedge issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and immigration has become standard political strategy in contemporary presidential campaigns. Why do candidates use such divisive appeals? Who in the electorate is persuaded by these controversial issues? And what are the consequences for American democracy? In this provocative and engaging analysis of presidential campaigns, Sunshine Hillygus and Todd Shields identify the types of citizens responsive to campaign information, the reasons they are responsive, and the tactics candidates use to sway these pivotal voters.The Persuadable Votershows how emerging information technologies have changed the way candidates communicate, who they target, and what issues they talk about. As Hillygus and Shields explore the complex relationships between candidates, voters, and technology, they reveal potentially troubling results for political equality and democratic governance. The Persuadable Voterexamines recent and historical campaigns using a wealth of data from national surveys, experimental research, campaign advertising, archival work, and interviews with campaign practitioners. With its rigorous multimethod approach and broad theoretical perspective, the book offers a timely and thorough understanding of voter decision making, candidate strategy, and the dynamics of presidential campaigns.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
List of Tables	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns	p. 1
The Reciprocal Campaign	p. 18
Measuring the Persuadable Partisan	p. 49
Capturing Campaign Persuasion	p. 82
The Republican Southern Strategy: A Case Study of the Reciprocal Campaign	p. 107
Candidate Strategy in the 2004 Campaign	p. 145
Conclusions: Consequences for Democratic Governance	p. 183
Question Wording and Coding	p. 205
Content Analysis Coding	p. 214
Statistical Results	p. 216
Bibliography	p. 223
Index	p. 237
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