ABSTRACT
As a form of political communication, political advertising is both celebrated and reviled. Over the past five decades, since its first appearance in campaigns in the 1950s, political advertising has evolved into the dominant form of communication between candidates and voters in the United States. In a variety of forms and styles, political advertising has also become a staple of communication in democracies around the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that the research on political advertising has become one of the most significant components of the political communication discipline (Kaid, 1996a, 1997c, 1999). This chapter discusses the role of political advertising in modern politics, provides information on the legal and regulatory context in which political advertising occurs, and summarizes the research about the content and effects of political advertising in the United States and other democratic systems. It also consider the special effects associated with negative advertising, advertising for female candidates, issue advocacy advertising, political advertising and the Internet, and press/news coverage of political advertising.
