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.

About the Author
L. Sandy Maisel is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Government, chair of the Department of Government, and director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College. Darrell M. West is director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and the John Hazen White Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Brown University.

Reviews
This is the first empirical examination of a vital element of American elections and merits the attention of election scholars. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *



Book Information
ISBN 9780742530751
Author Sandy L. Maisel
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 463g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 22mm