ABSTRACT
Issues have long been associated with presidential campaign discourse (Benoit, 2001; Hansen and Benoit, 2002; Jamieson and Campbell, 1997; Johnston and Kaid, 2002; Kaid, 2004; Petrocik, 1996; Pfau, Holbert, Szabo and Kaminski, 2002). As Armando Gutierrez suggests in the above quotation, talking about issues is considered by some political strategists to be a primary way in which to inspire voters’ attachments to candidates and/ or parties. Scholars have supported this claim with evidence that voters do consider candidates’ issue positions when making judgments about presidential candidates (Iyengar and Kinder, 1987; Petrocik, 1996). Indeed, issues are an integral part of presidential campaign discourse.
