ABSTRACT
It is well known that political parties market their leaders to mass appeal. Physical makeovers such as new styles of dress and hair, and carefully planned speeches designed to make leaders appear as though they can relate to voters are now common practices of party strategists (see McGinniss, 1969; Wattenberg, 1991). The growing emphasis on leaders rather than parties is also evident in the vast number of countries that now have leaders’ debates during election campaigns (Smith, 1981). But are voters really that concerned with the image of leaders? There is certainly no consensus on the matter. Some US research suggests that leader effects do matter (Rosenberg et al., 1986). Other research is more sceptical, however. For example, Bartels (2002:66-7) argues that ‘most important relationships between vote choice and comparative evaluations of the candidates’ personal qualities should be seen as misleading or spurious.’ Nevertheless, there is also evidence that even in a parliamentary system like Britain’s where the party is elected, not the Prime Minister, the appraisals of leaders can matter (Mughan, 2000; Bean and Mughan, 1989; Crewe, 1984:2034).
