Closing the Gap, Raising the Bar: Candidate Web Site Communication in the 2006 Campaigns for Congress

This article examines online campaigning for the U.S. Congress in 2006. Increases in web presence have slowed, but with minor-party candidates closing the gap with major-party candidates in Senate races. A content analysis of the campaign web sites of every Senate and House candidate reveals that ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science computer review 2007-11, Vol.25 (4), p.443-465
Main Authors: "Jeff" Gulati, Girish J., Williams, Christine B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Campaigns
Candidates
Congress
Congressional elections
Elections
Internet
Legislation
Legislative Bodies
Multivariate analysis
On-line systems
Online
Political Campaigns
Political parties
Senate
Social networks
Strategy
Web sites
Websites
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Summary:This article examines online campaigning for the U.S. Congress in 2006. Increases in web presence have slowed, but with minor-party candidates closing the gap with major-party candidates in Senate races. A content analysis of the campaign web sites of every Senate and House candidate reveals that baseline informational web content and features have become standardized but that Senate sites are more sophisticated technologically. Multivariate analyses reveal that financial resources underwrite the highest levels of content and constitute a moving hurdle for disadvantaged candidates. Democrats, Greens, and challengers demonstrated more interest in relationship building, and the competitiveness of the race increased the likelihood of using the web site for mobilizing supporters. Features and functionality that allow citizens to coproduce content and interact in two-way communication are not being adopted widely, and it is an open question how candidates might integrate new social networking tools into their campaign strategies.
ISSN:0894-4393
1552-8286
DOI:10.1177/0894439307305624