Technological Development of Congressional Candidate Web Sites 2002-2008

41 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 13 Jul 2014

See all articles by James N. Druckman

James N. Druckman

Northwestern University - Department of Political Science

Martin Kifer

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Michael Parkin

Oberlin College - Department of Politics

Samara Klar

University of Arizona

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

Campaign websites allow candidates to employ interactive and presentational technologies that have the potential to change the nature of candidate-voter interactions. We explore the conditions that lead congressional candidates to employ these technologies. We argue that technological choices reflect the same types of practical (e.g., funds) and political (e.g., incumbency status and competitiveness) considerations that determine campaign strategy more generally. We test and find support for these arguments with a unique data set from the 2008 congressional campaign. Far from being a panacea promoting voter-candidate interaction, candidate use of website technologies reflects practical and political realities.

Keywords: campaigns, website, Internet, congressional

Suggested Citation

Druckman, James N. and Kifer, Martin and Parkin, Michael and Klar, Samara, Technological Development of Congressional Candidate Web Sites 2002-2008 (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1901867

James N. Druckman

Northwestern University - Department of Political Science ( email )

601 University Place (Scott Hall)
Evanston, IL 60201
United States
847-491-7450 (Phone)

Martin Kifer

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ( email )

420 Delaware St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States

Michael Parkin (Contact Author)

Oberlin College - Department of Politics ( email )

Oberlin, OH 44074
United States

Samara Klar

University of Arizona ( email )

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
113
Abstract Views
866
Rank
401,150
PlumX Metrics