Trait Voting in U.S. Senate Elections
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7626910 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Danny Hayes (0000-0003-1950-1617, American University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1102-1129 |
| Publication date | 2010-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Politics Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1532-673X • E-ISSN: 1552-3373 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1532673x10371298 |
| OpenAlex | W2099451444 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 29 |
| References cited | 68 |
Assessments of candidates’ personal attributes are known to affect vote choice in presidential elections, but little work has explored trait perceptions and trait voting in congressional contests. In this article, I examine the role of candidate traits in U.S. Senate campaigns, drawing on unique survey data from the 2006 midterms. I find that voters’ evaluations of candidate qualities are less influenced by party stereotypes than in presidential elections and are strongly related to whether a candidate is an incumbent. And just as in campaigns for the White House, trait perceptions affect vote choice. But sitting Senators hold trait advantages that incumbent presidents do not necessarily receive, which makes leadership a particularly influential attribute in Senate races. In addition, trait voting is not contingent on campaign intensity and is strongest among the least politically aware citizens. In general, the results provide evidence for the applicability of presidential trait theories to congressional elections but show that incumbency and political awareness condition their effects in Senate contests
Perception · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Trait · Voting · Voting behavior · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 29 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,93 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2025 (15) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 28 |