William L. Benoit

John McHale

Kevin A. Stein

Sumana Challopadhyay

Bush versus Kerry analyzes the 2004 presidential campaign using the functional theory of political campaign communication. After an introduction and explication of political campaign communication theory, chapters investigate the content of candidate messages - for example, television spots, debates, webpages, and acceptance addresses - and media coverage of the campaign.

A Functional Analysis of Campaign 2004

Bush Versus Kerry

Joseph R. Blaney

P. M. Pier

Benoit, Blaney, and Pier apply the functional theory of political campaign discourse to the 1996 presidential campaign. They examine the use of strategies of acclaiming or self-praise, attacking the opponent, and defending or responding to attack. They investigate various message forms and all three parts of the campaign, from the primaries to the nominating conventions and the general election campaign.

A Functional Analysis of Acclaiming, Attacking, and Defending

Campaign '96

This book offers a comprehensive guide to political campaign communication using functional theory as a framework. An authoritative account packed with real life examples from campaigns across the globe, the book examines all of the important variables in political campaign communication. Considering campaign media - from television spots and debates to candidate webpages and direct-mail advertising - it looks closely at news coverage of campaigns, and examines the sources of campaign messages, the various ways of responding to scandal, the process of voter decision-making, and the ways in which context affects a political campaign. Chapters consider a full range of races, from presidential to congressional to gubernatorial, and look at political campaigns in the United States and many other countries including France, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan. Communication in Political Campaigns introduces readers to both theory and research on the topic, and is an ideal text for courses on political campaigns.

William L. Benoit

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