Functional Federalism in Political Campaign Debates

Jayne R. Henson and William Lyon Benoit

Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 2009, vol. 39, issue 4, 696-706

Abstract: Which factors influence the topics addressed by candidates in political debates? This study investigates the question of how the level of elective office influences the content of political debates by employing computer content analysis to investigate the issue emphasis of political campaign debates. Paul Peterson's (1995, The price of federalism. Washington, DC: CQ Press) theory of functional federalism recognizes that political offices at different levels of government have discrete purviews, so that senators are more likely to emphasize national issues than governors. This study confirms the prediction of functional federalism in non-presidential debates and then extends it by demonstrating that presidential campaign messages emphasize federal issues even more than Senate (or gubernatorial) discourse. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.

Date: 2009
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