Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
Abstract
Social media is becoming more integrated into every politician’s career. Previous research suggests that throughout an election a challenger is the one who is more likely to use negative campaigning while running for office. I analyze what strategies are being used by challengers and incumbent candidates while running for office. The data I use is provided by Zachary Auter and Jeffrey Fine (2016). Their data looks at both the 2010 election where we began to see politicians use Facebook ads in their campaigns. I find that a challenger is more likely to adopt negative messages while they are running and are behind in the polls. I also examine several campaigns from 2018 and found similar social media strategies. This confirms the increasing importance of social media in American elections.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Connor, "Electoral Competitiveness and Social Media Strategies: Who Goes Negative When and Why?" (2019). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 42.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/42
Included in
American Politics Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Media Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons
