Turnout could be key in North Carolina’s tight Senate race

Until August, it seemed certain that incumbent Republican Senator Richard Burr would hang on to his US Senate seat this November in the Tar Heel state. As part of our series on this year’s key Senate races, Newly Paul writes that former Congresswoman Deborah Ross has begun to close the gap with Burr, and that the race is now ranked as a ‘toss-up’ She comments that while Burr does have much bigger reserve of cash with which to fight to keep his seat, some of the state’s unpopular policies, such as the infamous ‘Bathroom Bill’, may be pushing voters away from him. In addition, higher minority turnout – potentially spurred on by dislike for Donald Trump and the state’s discriminatory voter ID laws – could also tilt the scales towards Ross

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s claims of voter fraud may further undermine public trust in elections and political institutions.

Three weeks on, the results of North Carolina’s gubernatorial election have not yet been declared. Despite losing by nearly 10,000 votes, Governor Pat McCrory initially demanded a statewide recount, but is now pursuing a recount in one county where he alleges voter irregularities have occurred. Newly Paul writes that McCrory’s allegations of voter fraud echo those of Donald Trump, claims which can also lead to greater scrutiny towards groups which assist voters in areas with greater minority populations

Food for the soul: How immigrants use food blogs to heal during times of crisis

Journal #34 from Media Rise's Quarantined Across Borders Collection by Newly Paul. From India. Quarantined in USA, TX, Dallas.Media Rise Publications. Quarantined Across Borders Collection. Edited by Dr. Srividya "Srivi" Ramasubramanian.Virtual communities built around food help immigrants cope in times of crises

Gender Stereotypes and the Strategic Use of Emotions in the 2008 Elections

Scholars examining gender bias in elections have found that voters’ stereotypical expectations of women and men candidates affect their vote choice. This dissertation examines gender stereotypes from the perspective of campaigns. Specifically, I examine how ad, candidate and election variables interact with gender stereotypes to determine the use of emotions in political ads. My analysis contains ad data for the 2008 Senate, House and gubernatorial races gathered from the Wisconsin Advertising Project, combined with original content analysis of 1,170,728 ad airings (3,424 unique ads). The results indicate that campaigns’ use of fear, anger, enthusiasm and hope appeals depends to a great extent on gender stereotypes, and that this relationship is conditional on other factors such as the gender of the opponent, the level of the office, and the competitiveness of the election

Despite progress on gender equity in US politics, female journalists and candidates do little to diversify debate agendas

Electoral debates can greatly influence the issue priorities of the public through the media’s agenda-setting function; however, debates have not always reflected the issue priorities of the public. As more women seek public office, little is known about gender’s role in shaping debate agendas. In new research examining questions from US presidential debates, Jason Turcotte and Newly Paul find that although female voters participating in debates refocus the agenda toward issues of greater consequence to women, female candidates and journalists fail to increase the emphasis on women’s issues. The implications of this mean that women’s issues are often muted in debates, and the presence of female candidates and journalists does little to foster greater diversity in issue focus

Endorsement ads are primarily used by incumbents and female candidates in the early stages of campaigns.

Political endorsements play an important role in shaping public opinion about candidates. While scholars have researched the impact of endorsements, few have examined the factors that determine how and where endorsements are used in campaigns. Using political advertising data from the 2008 election cycle, Newly Paul and Chance York find that four factors—candidate characteristics, campaign characteristics, ad format, and timing—affect whether an ad containing an endorsement is aired. They find that endorsements are more likely to appear in positive ads, are primarily used by incumbents and female candidates, are less likely to appear in competitive races, and tend to air less frequently as a campaign progresses

The first presidential debate: USAPP expert reaction andcommentary

On Monday night, over 80 million watched the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. We asked some of USAPP’s regular contributors for their thoughts and analysis

The third presidential debate: USAPP expert reaction and commentary

Last night, the third and final 2016 presidential debate was held in Las Vegas. We asked some of USAPP’s regular contributors for their thoughts and analysis

The second presidential debate: USAPP expert reaction and commentary

On Sunday night, the second 2016 presidential debate was held in St Louis. We asked some of USAPP’s regular contributors for their thoughts and analysis

President Trump’s inaugural address: USAPP experts react

On Friday January 20th, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. We asked USAPP’s expert contributors to give their rapid reaction to President Trump’s inaugural address