CHARACTERISTICS OF PRESS COVERAGE IN SENATE AND GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS - INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO VOTERS

Since campaigns are the mechanisms by which candidates communicate with voters, the content of campaigns tells us what voters are likely to learn about competing candidates. In this study, I conduct a content analysis of newspaper coverage in 24 U.S. Senate races and 21 gubernatorial races. The results suggest that voters are provided with substantially more coverage, and more equitable coverage, of gubernatorial candidates. In addition, newspapers apportion space differently to different types of coverage in Senate and in gubernatorial campaigns. I explain how these differences in coverage may influence the outcome of Senate and gubernatorial elections.