Political Communication & Strategy: Consequences of the 2014 Midterm Elections (Bliss Institute)

Some aspects of the 2014 midterm elections would have been unimaginable a decade earlier. SuperPACs spent unlimited amounts of money, candidates used Twitter and other social media to communicate with voters, and Democrats found themselves all but entirely cast out of federal office in the South. Other aspects of the midterm elections, such as primary elections, direct mail, and the hurdles faced by members of marginalized communities in making their concerns known, were more familiar. How did candidates and parties navigate these new and old realities of the campaign landscape? Top scholars examine the communications strategies of 2014 and their implications for future elections in this volume. The authors demonstrate that party branding, the social construction of group interests, and candidate rhetoric can have an important impact in midterm elections. Introduction : Political Communication And Strategy : Consequences Of The 2014 Midterm Elections / Tauna Sisco, Jennifer Lucas, And Christopher Galdieri -- Primaries & Political Communication : The Nationalization Of Congressional Primaries / Robert G. Boatright -- Partisan Extremity In The 2014 Midterm Elections : How Primaries And Incumbency Influence Polarized Position-taking On Campaign Websites / Kevin Parsneau And Christopher Chapp -- Political Communication & The Republican Wave : Party Branding. Marketing And Mobilization In 2014 And Beyond / Kenneth M. Cosgrove -- Selling The Donkey : Democratic Campaign Rhetoric And Framing In Republican States / Neal Allen And Brian K. Arbour -- Pussyfooting Around November? : A Longitudinal Analysis Of Politicians' Twitter Use In 2014 / Matthew A. Shapiro, Libby Hemphill, And Jahna Otterbacher -- Outside Influence & Political Communication : Following The Money : The Impact Of Outside Group Expenditures In The 2014 U.s. House Elections / Jeff Gulati And Victoria A. Farrar-myers -- You've Got Mail : Direct-mail Strategies In The New Hampshire U.s. Senate Race / Dante J. Scala And Tegan O'neill -- Strategy, Issues, & The South : The 2014 Election And The Culmination Of Southern Realignment / David A. Hopkins -- The Solid South : Campaign Issue Strategies In The 2014 Southern Senate Races / Caleb Orr, Dylan Brugman, Suzanne Fournier Macaluso, And Cindy Roper -- Construction Of Marginalized Interests : The Social Construction Of Women's Interests In The 2014 And 2010 Midterms/ Vincent Vecera And Danielle Currier -- Racial Attitudes And Emotional Responses To Senate Candidates In New Jersey / David P. Redlawsk, Natasha Altema Mcneely, And Caroline J. Tolbert. Edited By Tauna S. Sisco, Jennifer C. Lucas, Christopher J. Galdieri. Includes Bibliographical References. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web. Some aspects of the 2014 midterm election would have been unimaginable a decade earlier. SuperPACs spent unlimited amounts of money, candidates used Twitter and other social media to communicate with voters, and Democrats found themselves all but entirely cast out of federal office in the South. Other aspects of the midterm elections such as primary elections, direct amil, and the hurdles faced by members of marginalized communities in making their concerns were more familiar. How did candidates and parties navigate these new and old realities of the campaign landscape? Top scholars examine the communications strategies of 2014 and their implications for future elections in this volume. The authors demonstrate that party branding, the social construction of group interests, and candidate rhetoric can have an important impact in midterm elections