strongIssuestrong Engagement on Congressional Candidate Websites (2002.doc

Issue Engagement on Congressional Candidate Websites (2002-2006) James N. Druckman Northwestern University druckman@ Cari Lynn Hennessy Northwestern University cari.hennessy@ Martin J. Kifer Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. mkifer@ Michael Parkin Oberlin College Michael.Parkin@ March 20, 2009 Abstract: When candidates engage in robust policy debate, it gives citizens clear choices on issues that matter. Previous studies of issue engagement have primarily used indicators of campaign strategy that are mediated by reporters (e.g. newspaper articles) or indicators that may exclude candidates in less competitive races (e.g. television advertisements). ?We study issue engagement with data from a unique source, congressional candidate websites, that are unmediated and representative of both House and Senate campaigns. ?We find that the saliency of issues in public opinion is a primary determinant of candidate engagement. And, despite the unique capacity of the internet to allow candidates to explain their positions on a large number of issues, candidates continue to behave strategically, selecting a few issues on which to engage their adversaries. Key Words: issue engagement, candidate websites, internet, congressional campaigns Authors’ note: The authors’ names are listed in alphabetical order. The authors would also like to acknowledge Jason Seawright’s contribution in suggesting and making extensive recommendations concerning the simulations of candidate engagement. Virtually all conceptions of democracy emphasize the need for vibrant and robust elections. Democratic theory suggests that, ideally, elections ought to?feature engaged citizens as well as candidates who debate policy questions, providing voters with clear and distinct choices on consequential issues. In the words of one prominent scholar, democracies ought to have elections “in which competing leaders and organizations define the alternatives of public policy in such a way that the public ca