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Content analyses reveal the impact of visual representation on voter support in the Kenyan election, suggesting media images play a crucial role.
We draw on three data sets to offer a comprehensive view on visual representation of presidential candidates and the impact of media images on the outcome of the Kenyan election. Content analyses of legacy media revealed patterns in journalistic coverage, whereas Facebook posts brought to light comparable self-representation of candidates. Daily tracking poll data were used to test for associations between visual representation and voter support for candidates. Finally, in-depth interviews provided context for interpreting the results. Old school message discipline, innovative use of delivery platforms, and unprecedented gains in assimilating journalism into online campaign operations surfaced as the markers of a winning strategy.
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Ochieng et al. (2025) studied this question.
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