Does being male help? An investigation of the effect of candidate gender and campaign coverage on evaluations of U.S. Senate candidates.

This study examines the possibility that the mass media, by covering male and female candidates differently, influence the success of female candidates. A content analysis of newspaper coverage in twenty-six U.S. Senate races shows that male and female Senate candidates are covered differently in the news. Two experiments were conducted to explore the consequences of these differences in coverage, as well as the significance of the candidates' gender, for evaluations of Senate candidates. Experimental results from both student and adult samples suggest that gender differences in coverage tend to advantage male candidates. For instance, candidates who are covered like male candidates in the news are considered more viable that candidates who are covered like female candidates. Sex stereotypes, on the other h and , tend to advantage female candidates. Female candidates are viewed as more compassionate and more honest than equivalent male candidates. The findings from this study provide support for the hypothesis that the mass media influence a woman's chances of success at the polls. Male and female candidates are covered differently in the news and these differences in coverage often produce negative assessments of women candidates. The findings from this study confirm the results of earlier media studies by demonstrating that the media play a powerful role in structuring how people think about politics and political candidates.Ph.D.Political scienceUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162326/1/9001653.pd

Positive Spillovers from Negative Campaigning

Negative advertising is frequent in electoral campaigns, despite its ambiguous effectiveness: negativity may reduce voters' evaluation of the targeted politician but have a backlash effect for the attacker. We study the eect of negative advertising in electoral races with more than two candidates with a large scale field experiment during an electoral campaign for mayor in Italy and a survey experiment in a ctitious mayoral campaign. In our field experiment, we find a strong, positive spillover effect on the third main candidate (neither the target nor the attacker). This effect is confirmed in our survey experiment, which creates a controlled environment with no ideological components nor strategic voting. The negative ad has no impact on the targeted incumbent, has a sizable backlash effect on the attacker, and largely benefits the idle candidate. The attacker is perceived as less cooperative, less likely to lead a successful government, and more ideologically extrem