The Deceptive Nature of American Politics: Gubernatorial and Senatorial Elections in 1982

In: The Journal of social, political and economic studies, Band 12, Heft 4, S. 401-418

Abstract

Campaign literature from gubernatorial & senatorial candidates in the US are analyzed to determine which issues the candidates of the two major parties emphasized the most. Perhaps surprisingly, the overall picture that emerges is not one of conservative-liberal polarization. Not only were the ideological lines between the candidates frequently blurred, there were times when a candidate could not be identified as a Republican or a Democrat on the basis of his or her campaign literature. PO polls of the US electorate are similarly confusing. A tendency to move toward the center is also discussed. 2 Charts. Modified AA