Running On Empty?: Political Discourse in Congressional Elections

The level of discourse in campaigns and elections ideally should elevate citizens’ knowledge about the candidates and the issues that face the polity. But elections today are often beset by negative campaigns and an emphasis on the horse race over issues of substance. Running on Empty? looks at sixteen carefully selected, highly competitive races in the House and Senate during the 2002 midterm elections. Measuring various aspects of campaign discourse throughout a wide variety of paid and unpaid media coverage-including radio, TV, newspapers, direct mail, and the Internet-the authors arrive at some arresting conclusions about the quality of the messages conveyed, whether positive or negative. In all, this impressive set of original essays by political experts provides a timely assessment of the effectiveness of media reform and the democratization of campaign discourse in theory compared to practice.